


Fragments of Your Broken Heart

by RedRocketLeaf



Category: Bleach
Genre: Aizen Sosuke Being a Bastard, Bottom Abarai Renji, Bottom Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, Explicit Sexual Content, Grimm gets his snark back, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mpreg, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, OOC Grimmjow - only for a little while, Out of Character, Pack Dynamics, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Science Experiments, Torture, lots of comfort, only mild
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:53:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 19
Words: 71,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22548097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRocketLeaf/pseuds/RedRocketLeaf
Summary: Preparing to rescue Orihime from Aizen, Ichigo is training hard. Just as he is planning to travel to Hueco Mundo his world is flipped upside down by a broken and damaged Sexta Espada. The substitute soul reaper must find a way to put him back together again while attempting to rescue his friend. Ichigo must overcome the trials that lay ahead.
Relationships: Abarai Renji/Kuchiki Byakuya, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques/Kurosaki Ichigo
Comments: 91
Kudos: 232





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi All, This is a rewrite of an old Fic I wrote on Fanfiction.net. Its been a long time since I wrote anything so I hope you all enjoy.

The loud clash of metal hitting metal echoed around the large underground training area followed by roars of battle. Ichigo Kurosaki was currently locked in battle with the summoned form of his Zanpakuto Zangetsu. He had been sparing with his sword for the last 8 hours never giving ground or letting his opponent get a good strike. Blocking a solid strike aimed for his head sent the orange haired Shinigami flying straight back into a large stack of solid rock. He landed slightly of balance as Zangetsu caught up and struck again forcing Ichigo to jump backwards in order to avoid losing his head. Just as he landed again and prepared his counter attack he heard a shout come from the other end of the training ground.

"Ichigo! Can you get over here for a second? I need a hand!" Urahara jumped up onto a distant rock stack and waved his hat to get the substitute Shinigami's attention. Both Ichigo and Zangetsu put away their blades and flash stepped over to the store owner. Kisuke dropped down to the ground and waved the orange haired teen over. "Ichigo I need a second pair of hands. Can you steady that beam while I secure it"

Ichigo did as instructed an held the large beam that stretched between two large rock structures and watched as Urahara used some form of white rope to bind the beam to the solid stone. "How much longer is this going to take Kisuke. We have no idea what is happening to Orihime over there"

The shop keeper tied a final knot in the rope that finally secured the beam and jumped down to land next to the teen. "It won't take much longer now, that was the finally support stone to channel the Garganta. It will take a few days to gather the spiritual energy needed to open the gateway to Hueco Mundo and one or two more days to stabilize it so that you can pass through"

The orange headed teens groaned as he let go of the beam. It had been eight days since his friend was taken and Ichigo was getting restless. All he wanted to do was bust into Hueco Mundo beat that blue haired bastard into a pulp along with the pale shit that took Orihime. He would kill that asshole Aizen then bring his friend home safe and sound.

Turning his back on the shop keeper Ichigo spoke as he headed to the ladders that led back into the store. "Thank you for helping me Kisuke, I will be back tomorrow to do more training". Zangetsu vaporized back into his inner world as he exited the underground trained area. Ichigo climbed back into his body, grabbed his bag and began walking the journey back home. Just as he reached the end of the street the teen felt a sudden rush of strong reiatsu suddenly appear out of no where, it took him a few seconds as he tried to tell if it was coming from friend or foe. His honey brown eyes widened as he realized who the reiatsu belonged too, Grimmjow was here and from what he could tell was close to his own home.

Ichigo swore loudly and pulled out the small green pill that contained a mod soul that Kisuke gave him in case of emergencies like this one. He popped the pill in a flash was forced out of his body, he turned to his mod soul controlled body and ordered. "Go back to Urahara's, I will come to get you when I'm done" He barely heard the soul agree to his order as he jumped into the air and flash stepped towards Grimmjow's spiritual pressure.

He stopped suddenly when he realized that not only was the Sexta Espada close to his home but was actually inside it. Ichigo felt a hint of relief when he remembered his father and sisters were away for the weekend, he could kill that bastard without holding back. Slowly he lowered himself to the ground in front of the clinic while unravelling Zangetsu with his right hand and took a hold of the door handle with his left. He twisted the handle and pushed the door open before cautiously stepping inside.

He focused his senses on locating the Espada, the strongest signal of reiatsu was coming from upstairs. He didn't understand why the Arrancar had decided to invade his home but he was going to regret it. Gripping Zangetsu's hit tightly he defensively positioned the blade as he made his way up the stairs. Continuing to follow the reiatsu signature that finally led to his bedroom, now this was really confusing surely Grimmjow had sensed his spiritual pressure so why hadn't he attacked yet.

As he stood outside his bedroom door Ichigo noticed that it was slightly open. Slowly he pushed the door with his foot and pointed Zangetsu into the open doorway. Ichigo waited for a second before he took a step inside. He had expected a sudden attack or possibly a trap but what he discovered he never could have considered a possibility.

There laid on his floor, completely naked and bound was Grimmjow. As he stared in shock he took in the sight of his enemy. The blunettes wrists were bound behind his back with thick looking cuffs along with his ankles that were bound together. He had a solid looking gag forced into his mouth that kept his jaw forced open and looked like it was tied painfully around the back of his head. The Arrancar's eyes were closed and from the movement of his chest, it was obvious he wasn't conscious.

Ichigo kept his blade pointed at the bound Espada as he slowly moved closer, he was wary that this was a possible trap but something about situation didn't seem right. The closer he got to the blunette the more he realized the condition Grimmjow was in, it was surprising to see the number of scars and bruises that covered the mans body and what was most shocking was that the hollow hole that had once pierced the man middle was filled with lean muscle. Ichigo inspected the Sexta's middle a bit more closely and he was sure that it looked slightly swollen.

Just as Ichigo was about a foot away from the bound Espada on the floor blue eyes snapped open and instantly began flitting to take in his surroundings. The moment they locked eyes Grimmjow began to panic when he realized who was stood in front of him. In his panic and fear he tried to move backwards away from the Shinigami which caused him to strain his bound muscles. The blunette made a muffled sound behind the gag as he pleaded with his eyes.

Ichigo watched in horror as the Arrancar started to shake and was repeatedly trying to speak. The orange haired teen slowly placed Zangetsu on the floor and held up his hands to try to show he wasn't a threat. Grimmjow froze and stared with dead blue eyes that somehow made Ichigo's heart clench. Slowly the teen lent forward and reached behind the blunettes head and unclipped the gag that prevented the man from speaking and carefully removed it. Quickly glancing down at the gag he realized it was made from some form of metal and judging by the indented teeth mark the Arrancar must have bitten into very hard multiple times.

Grimmjow flexed his jaw slightly as it was the first time in weeks that he had been without the gag. He continued to stare at the Shinigami and couldn't stop the tremors of fear that quivered throughout his bound body. He forced his dry throat to work and rasped out with a rough voice "P…please don't… kill me". As he managed to force the words out he suddenly felt his stomach clench as he was hit with a wave of nausea. He tried to swallow down the threat of vomiting but was unable to keep down the bile forcing him to cough up a horrible burning fluid that spewed out onto the wooden floor. The previous Sexta scrunched his eyes closed as tears started to over flow.

The orange haired Shinigami felt his chest clench as he took in the pitiful sight of the vomiting Arrancar on his floor. He finally processed the words Grimmjow had rasped out. Ichigo moved behind the blunette and got down on his knees. He gently rubbed between the bound man's shoulder blade as he finally stopped vomiting. Using the Arrancar's disorientation to his advantage the teen quickly scooped the taller male into his arms and stood up, carefully he carried him into the bed and gently laid him on his side top of the comforter.

Grimmjow finally realized he had been moved and looked up at the orange haired Shinigami in surprise. He tried to tell Ichigo he was sorry for being sick but his throat closed around the words. He just prayed that his punishment wouldn't hurt too much. He watched as the teen stood up moved just out of view, he heard a low thud and closed his eyes as he waited for whatever the Shinigami had in store for him.

Once he had placed Grimmjow on his bed, Ichigo quickly got up and grabbed a old shirt from his dirty laundry and used it to mop up the yellow fluid that the Arrancar had vomited up. When he threw it back into the hamper and turned back to the bed he was met by the sight of Grimmjow once again shivering with his eyes tightly closed. He made his way to the bed and sat down next to the bound man and gently placed his hand on the Sexta's shoulder. "I'm not going to hurt you, Grimmjow. It's ok"

The bound man's eyes snapped open as he looked up at the teen touching him gently. Grimmjow's instincts started to fight within his mind, he was conflicted between leaning closer to the teen for protection and cowering away in fear. Torn between what to do he just stayed frozen in his current position, the only movement he could make was the slight uncontrollable tremors.

Slowly Ichigo leaned over Grimmjow's torso and got a closer look at the cuffs that bound him. They kept the Arrancar's wrist bound left on top of right, and were made from a solid white substance that the teen hadn't seen before, even in the Soul Society. Carefully he reached out with his left hand and ran his finger tips over the cuffs and felt an almost tingling like feeling from where he made contact. There didn't seem to be a keyhole or even a seem where the cuffs locked. How was he supposed to get these things off.

 _'Ichigo, I believe these cuffs are meant to slowly drain reiatsu keeping whoever is wearing them extremely weakened. A concentrated surge of your spiritual pressure should break them_ ' Zangetsu's deep voice came from within his head. That could work. Ichigo focused to pull as much of his reiatsu into his hand a possible. Once he felt he had concentrated enough power into his left hand he carefully gripped the middle of the cuffs and in a controlled blast, he forced all of his reiatsu into the solid material. With a loud crack the cuffs shattered into pieces, Grimmjow's once bound arms separated but the Sexta didn't make an effort to move them. Carefully the teen twists his position and used the same method to free the Arrancar's ankles.

Ichigo turns and leans backwards to observe and saw that the blunette had once again scrunched his eyes closed and was desperately trying to control his breathing. Even though he was now free from his cuffs and had the ability to move, Grimmjow just remained in the same position. The orange haired teen felt lost, he had expected the Sexta to at least stretch out his muscles that must ache but the fact that all he did was remain motionless made the Shinigami's heartache.

Slowly Ichigo rose from the bed and stood looming over the still naked Arrancar. Driven by instinct he lent forward and slid his arms underneath the Espada's naked body. As he lifted Grimmjow's surprisingly light frame up, the Sexta's eyes opened just enough to see that the Shinigami had positioned him so that his arms were now over his bare middle and his legs were draped over the teens elbow. Still afraid to move Grimmjow remained still.

Once Ichigo felt as though he had a secure hold on the Espada he carefully climbed back onto the bed so that he was sitting at the top end with his back resting against the head board and his legs were crossed. He then gently positioned Grimmjow so that he was sitting in his lap and was resting against chest. Once the blunette was settled, he slowly reached to the side of his pillows and pulled out a fluffy red blanket that he had stuffed their for the cold nights and wrapped it around the Espada's naked body. Ichigo then wrapped one arm around Grimmjow's back and the other he rested on the others upper arm.

While he was being moved around Grimmjow had cautiously stared at the Soul Reaper's face and remained pliant while the teen positioned him. When he had felt the soft blanket cover his body he shivered as he was unused to having anything touch his bare skin, especially something that soft. When Ichigo finally stopped moving and had rested his hands on his body the Sexta carefully looked up. His head was tucked under the Shinigami's chin and he could feel the slow movement of the teen's chest as he inhaled. Just as he was starting to feel his body relax slightly Ichigo spoke.

"Grimmjow, someone has tortured you haven't they?"

The blue haired Espada tensed up all over again, he felt his muscles start to tremble and he was unable to hold back a whine of fear that escaped from his throat. Suddenly he felt his eyes begin to sting as tears began to flow down his cheeks. Just as he convulsed with a sob the arms that were around him tightened their grip and the chest he was lay against let out a gentle rumble followed by a soft hushing sound. It was in that moment that Grimmjow felt something inside his mind break and he let out a loud, agony filled sob. He gripped a hold of the front of Ichigo's shihakusho and turned so that his face was buried against the teen's broad chest.

Ichigo frozen for a moment as Grimmjow's actions told him the answer to his question. Instinctively he wrapped his arms tighter around the sobbing man and made a soft hushing sound that he used to calm his sisters when they were upset. The blunette gripped the front of his robe tightly and hid his face against his chest as he continued to sob. The teen gently rubbed circles in the broken Sextas back in a hope to calm him.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed in this position but eventually Grimmjow's sobs quietened to hiccups as the Espada seemed to go completely lax in his hold. Ichigo strained his neck to look at Grimm's face and let out a sigh of relief when he realized that he Arrancar had fallen to sleep, having completely exhausted what little energy he had.

Carefully he shifted himself so that the Espada slowly rolled off his chest and lay flat against the bed. Ichigo shimmied sideways and was slowly able to extract himself from the bed with out disturbing the sleeping Arrancar. Once he was off the bed the teen pulled the red blanket tighter around Grimmjow's body, making sure no warmth could escape. Ichigo then quietly exited his room and crept downstairs.

Once in his living room he picked up the house phone and dial the memorized number to Urahara's shop. It rang a few times before he heard the voice of Kisuke. "Urahara Shop, how can I help"

"Hello Kisuke, its Ichigo. I got rid of the hollow, can you send my body home please" The teen tried to keep his voice even, he knew that Urahara was able to pick up on his lies.

"Oh Hello Ichigo, are you sure everything is ok?" Damn it. The blond was too perceptive.

"Yes everything is fine, It was just a big ass hollow that took me a bit longer to kill than usual. I'm back home now so could you please send Kon back with my body" He added a annoyed tone to his voice hoping to reassure the shop keeper.

"Very well Ichigo, Kon took over from the spare mod soul I gave you and is on his way with your body and things. If you need anything just give me a call. Bye" Kisuke sounded suspiciously agreeable. But he had too much to worry about now that the blond store owner. Placing the phone back on the receiver he waited by the front door until Kon arrived.

Just as the mod soul bust threw the front door with his body about to shout something. Ichigo used his badge to force the little pill out of his body and caught it. Usually he would place it straight into his stuffed lion and just let the annoying little thing whine but right now he couldn't handle anyone else, so he places Kon's pill on top of the coffee table in the Living room. Climbing back into his body Ichigo made his way back upstairs and into his room.

The teen was happy to see that Grimmjow had not moved from his comfy position. Quietly he walked over to his desk and sat down into his chair. Fuck this was going to be a long sleepless night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again guys, hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I recently finished reading over this chapter so I thought I'd get it posted. A small warning that Grimm is going to be some what out of character for a little while but he has been through hell so it's understandable. Hope you enjoy this chapter and if you do please leave kudo's they help me keep writing.

Ichigo lounged back in his study chair and kept his gaze fixated on the panther arrancar that slept on his bed. He couldn’t take his eyes away from the Espada’s sleeping form, so many questions were flying through the teens head. Who had done this in such a short space of time? Why was Grimmjow’s hollow hole missing yet he still had his mask? How did he end up in the substitute soul reaper’s bedroom? What the hell was he supposed to do now?! The teen though back to Grimmjow’s physical condition and felt a shudder run down his spine. Just from looking at the blunettes body it was fairly obvious that he had been repeatedly beaten, cut up multiple times and starve. Ichigo feared to think what other horrors the Sexta had been subjected too.

The teen contemplated trying to get some sleep but he knew his mind was far too alert and he could still feel the buzz of adrenaline in his veins. What he did instead was attempt to put some form of plan together, he called upon the little medical knowledge he had gained from his father and thought about what he knew about helping trauma patients. It was obvious enough that when Grimmjow finally woke he would be extremely anxious and frightened, Ichigo knew he would have to remain calm and somehow reassure the Espada that he was now safe.

Hours passed and the sun was starting to rise, Ichigo had remained sat at his desk as he pondered as many possible outcomes of the near future. Eventually, the teen wore himself out and had unknowingly drifted off with his head resting on his folded arms. While he slept a dark presence rose from the orange haired teen's body.

Slowly a cloud of dark reiatsu swirled behind Ichigo’s slumped over form and gradually a white figure materialized. Ichigo’s inner hollow had recently learned this little trick since his King had trained with those Visards. As he felt the last of his body formed Shiro, as he had been dubbed by his king, stretched out his new form. It still was still a new feeling having his own separate body and always took him a few minutes to get used to the feeling of the world outside Ichigo’s head. Once he had grown accustomed to the feeling of being separated, the hollow quietly took a few steps towards the bed and looked upon the figure that laid upon it.

Black and gold eyes narrowed as he took in the sight before him, so this was Grimmjow. He had heard his king mention this Espada numerous times. Shiro used his hollow sense of smell to gather more information about this man. It only took a second for those golden eyes to widen and he bit out a curse. Fuck his king was in for a huge surprise.

Contrary to his Kings opinion of him, Shiro had no intention of harming his other half. He was apart of Ichigo’s soul that had been split into two separate entity’s. He played the part of the evil hollow that wanted to take over Ichigo’s body in order to force his king to become stronger. The truth was Shiro had been born the moment Ichigo’s mother, Misaki had died saving her son. He didn’t know the exact details but he was sure that his whole reason for being brought into existence was to protect Ichigo in his mother’s place. And right now he had no idea how to protect his king. Just as the Hollow was about to try and learn more the Espada began to stir awake, left with no option Shiro jumped backwards and reached out to touch Ichigo’s shoulder, in a split second the white hollow disappeared back into the sideways world in the orange haired teens head.

Grimmjow groaned as he slowly began to slip back into consciousness. His mind was clouded in a thick fog and the only thing he could comprehend was that his body still ached but for some strange reason he felt pleasantly warm. At this point he was more used to waking feeling cold and in agony, the blunette felt the fog starting to clear but refused to open his eyes. He hoped that if he kept his eyes closed he could remain in this warm and comfortable fantasy a little while longer.

As minutes passed and nothing happened to take away the warmth Grimmjow finally risked opening his eyes. He instantly knew he wasn’t in that cold dark cell, and the first thing he laid his gaze upon sent a shiver of fear down his spine. Directly in front of him, leaning over a table of sorts was his enemy, Ichigo Kurosaki. Memory caught up with him and he remembered waking up still bound and gagged to the sight of the orange haired soul reaper leaning over him. The teen had freed him from his bonds and had even comforted him.

Something in the back of the Espada’s mind told him to remain where he was. He was in no fit state to go on the run, he had barely any strength to move let alone fight. Not only would he have to contend with the soul reapers he would also have to deal with the arrancar that Aizen would no doubt send to retrieve him. At this moment his best bet was to wait for Ichigo to wake and hope that the teen was merciful enough to give him a chance to heal. Grimmjow kept his gaze fixed on the orange haired teen and tried to control the tremors of fear.

Ichigo was rudely awoken by a familiar sharp stabbing pain that radiated from his lower back. He let out pained groan before he took in a deep breath, god he hated falling asleep at his desk. The teen would always wake with his back protesting being hunched over for so long. Slowly he sat up and felt each of his vertebrae pop as he straightened his spine. He was instantly brought into full alertness when he heard a low whine come from his bed. He turned his head and was met with the sight of Grimmjow who had curled himself into a ball under the blanket and all that was visible of the man was a small amount of blue hair and dull blue eyes that stared at him.

The orange haired teen slowly turned his chair until he faced the bed. “Hey, Grimm. It’s ok. How are you feeling?” Ichigo made sure to keep his voice as soft as possible and watched the arrancar reaction carefully.

Grimmjow watched the teen for a moment, he didn’t fully understand the question. Did he want to know how he was feeling physically or emotionally? Physically he hurt and ached but emotionally he didn’t know how to feel. He knew he was scared, that was a given but other than that he didn’t know what he should be feeling. Slowly he pulled the blanket to reveal a bit more of his face and did his best to answer the soul reapers question with a raspy voice “I hurt and I’m scared”

Ichigo was taken a back by the Espada’s straight forward answer. He didn’t know what he was expecting to hear but that was defiantly not it. He guessed that Grimmjow would still be in pain but he was surprised to hear him admit he was scared. Still maintaining eye contact the orange haired teen spoke gently, “I want to help you Grimm. But you need to tell me what’s happened to you. Who did this?”

The Espada shivered and felt his chest tighten. He was overcome by a mix of relief and terror, relief at hearing that Ichigo wanted to help him and terror at the thought of retelling his recent imprisonment. He opened his mouth and tried to speak but all that came out was a stutter of unintelligible sounds.He swallowed a lump in his throat and tried again. “A…Aizen”

Brown eyes widened in surprise. Aizen did this to one of his own Espada? Why? What had Grimmjow done that had lead to this level of torture? His brow tightened as he felt a wave of anger at the treacherous bastard. His mind filled with thoughts of what he wanted to do to Aizen when he got his hands on him. Ichigo’s thought pattern was interrupted by a familiar voice that resonated in the back of his mind. **‘Chill out king, you're scaring the kitty!’**

Ichigo looked back to Grimmjow who had once again buried himself under the blanket and was shaking in fear. What happened to him? **‘You happened king, you were radiating angry reiatsu. He probably thinks your angry with him’** Shit.

“Grimmjow, I’m sorry. I’m not angry with you, I’m just upset that Aizen has hurt you like this” The teen rose to his feet and moved over to the bed. He sat down and placed a gentle hand on the quivering mound under the fluffy blanket and tried to pry it away just enough to exposed Grimm’s face. The Espada didn’t resist but had his eyes tightly closed, Ichigo sighed and gently reached out and brushed his thumb against the panther arrancar’s cheek. He felt his chest start to rumble in a sound he had never heard himself make before and was amazed to see that Grimmjow instantly started to relax and leaned into his hand.

The soul reaper continued to pet the blunette as he wondered where that rumble had come from. **‘ That would be me King, I used a sound that Alpha Hollows make to calm their Beta’s’**. Ichigo scrunched his brow in confusion. _‘What do you mean by Alpha Hollows and Betas? What the hell do you know about all this?!’_ He questioned Shiro inside his head.

 **‘I don’t know what’s happened to the kitty but I can tell from his scent that he is a Beta Hollow. Its hard to explain but to put it simply, Hollows that are Adjuchas level or higher are either Alpha’s or Beta’s. I’m an Alpha which means you are as well, Grimmy here is a Beta so our instincts tell us to protect him’** Shiro sounded slightly concerned as he spoke in a tone Ichigo had never heard from his inner Hollow.

Grimmjow was so lost in the feeling of security that he hadn’t realized that he had almost completely crawled out of the blanket and into the soul reapers lap. It was only when Ichigo stopped making that reassuring rumbling sound did he come back to his senses. He looked down at himself and realized that his upper body was pressed against the teen's leg that had been outstretched on the bed and had his head resting against Ichigo’s hip. He froze and looked up into the brown eyes that now had gold flecks running through them and waited for the teen to make the next move.

Ichigo was thinking about what Shiro had just told him, so he was classed as an Alpha Hollow and Grimmjow was a Beta. He knew there was much more he needed to learn but right now he had to focus on the blunette who was looking at him with worried eyes. The teen slowly ran his fingers though Grimm’s blue locks that felt a little dull and greasy from lack of care. He didn’t want to ask but he needed to know. He made sure to maintain eye contact and kept his voice soft. “Grimm, I know its hard but I still need to know what Aizen has done to you. Please tell me I promise I will help you”

The Sexta leaned into Ichigo’s hand and felt the tension melt out of his body. He really didn’t want to relive his hell at Aizen’s hands but something inside him felt the need to follow the soul reapers request. It took him a few minutes to compose himself but he was able to pull himself away from that comforting touch and sat himself up. Grimmjow looked Ichigo in the eye as he rested his arms over his middle. “B… Before I tell you what he did to me… there is something you need to know”

The orange haired teen took in a deep breath. “You can tell me Grimm” Ichigo waited for the feline arrancar to speak.

Grimmjow swallowed the lump in his throat and tightened his grip on his slightly swollen stomach as he lowered his gaze. “I…I’m expecting a cub”

Ichigo’s eyes widened and he felt his heart skip a beat. W…what was that suppose to mean?! **‘It means he’s pregnant king…’** The teen tensed in shock as he pushed down the urge to run from the room. He forced himself to breathe and tried to keep it even. He needed to stay calm for Grimmjow. Seeing how the Sexta had flinched away from him, he was obviously expecting some form of repercussion. He needed to reassure him it was ok. “So y…your pregnant?”

Grimmjow just simply nodded his head. He didn’t look into the teen's brown eyes in fear of what he would see. Ichigo must be disgusted by him, from what the blunette knew of the living world males didn’t get pregnant here. The soul reaper would hate him and he feared that he was going to be told to leave. The former Sexta didn’t know what he would do or where he would go if he was forced out, all he did know was he wouldn’t survive very long and his poor cub wouldn’t even have a chance at life.

The orange haired teen had focused his line of sight at the blunettes middle, there was life growing inside Grimmjow. Ichigo had now processed what he had just learned and had to admit he was fascinated by the Sexta’s slightly swollen stomach. He didn’t know why but he had a strange feeling bubbling in his chest. He had never felt anything like this before, the teen turned his thoughts inward and tried asking ‘Shiro, what is this? Why am I getting this strange feeling?’

The echoey voice of his albino twin resonated in the back of his mind **‘I think your feeling protective of him and his offspring King, It's not surprising since you’re an Alpha’**. Ichigo agreed with his hollows analysis, it was in his nature to be protective of those who needed help. The teen looked over Grimmjow once again, he instantly notices that the arrancar had now completely curled into himself and was shaking. Instinctively Ichigo leant forward then wrapped his arms around the quivering blunette and gently pulled him into his chest.

Every muscle in the former Sexta’s body stiffened at the surprising and sudden embrace, but as he heard Ichigo make that deep rumble and felt the teens warm hands rub small circles on his back he melted into the embrace. Grimmjow felt himself relax against Ichigo strong chest and was overwhelmed by a wave of what he could only describe as relief. Relief from the pain and from the fear. The only thought that filled his head was that his Alpha had accepted him and would protect him. Blue eyes fluttered closed and Grimmjow instinctively moved to crawl into the teen's lap.

Ichigo was surprised as the Espada left the blanket behind as he began to purr and crawled so that he was sat in the teens lap with his naked chest pressed against the soul reapers. Using his strength the orange haired teen held tightly onto to the Sexta and shifted them both so that they were back at the top end of the bed. Grimmjow continued to purr and tried to press every inch of his body against Ichigo’s. Somehow the teen was able to pull the blanket over them both and then tightened his grip on the Beta.

Grimmjow was overcome by his instincts that were screaming at him to cling to the Alpha that was holding him. He was unable to think for himself at this moment as nothing else in the world mattered except protecting the cubs that were growing inside him and being close to his Alpha. For the first time since he had rational though Grimmjow felt safe. Eventually, exhaustion won and the blunette drifted into a deep sleep. But even this new sense of security could keep away the nightmare that plagued his dreams. The whole reason he was in this position haunted his sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning NON-CON, TORTURE and slight NON-CON Body modification!! If you don't like to read this sort of thing please skip this chapter.

_(Life in Hueco Mundo meant one thing, Death. Those that dwelled here lived for the only purpose of killing those weaker than themselves and gaining power. One thing that was rarely known about this place that made it different from the other realms was the passing of time. Time here ran a lot faster than time in the Living world or the Soul Society, a day in the land of the living was a more than week here in the realm of hollows.)_

A deep growl left the former Sexta Espada’s throat as he watched the Garganta close behind him and Ulquiorra. He had just been about to release Pantera to kill that blond bastard with the mask that had interrupted his fight with Ichigo when the Cuatro Espada had grabbed his hand and told him to stand down and return to Las Noches. Grimmjow had been in the world of the Living purely because he wanted to kill that orange haired soul reaper who’s eyes mocked him with every look. 

He had been ordered by Aizen to remain in Las Noches as he was no longer a Espada. The blunette had lost his rank when he had lost his Fraccion to the soul reapers. He had been lucky to escape Tousen’s wrath with nothing more that a burn on his back that removed his 6. Aizen had told him to remain out of sight but Grimmjow had never been good at not being the center of attention. He was a King after all, even if all his followers had been killed. 

Grimmjow had disobeyed Aizen, his need to fight the substitute soul reaper had just been too great. He had opened a Garganta only moments after the party of Yammy, Luppi and that new kid Wonder whatever had left for the living world. He knew he was in for a dressing down for disobeying orders again but he couldn’t just sit on his ass while that pathetic weakling wore his 6. He would kill Ichigo Kurosaki and regain his position as the Sexta Espada. 

The battle between himself and the orange haired human had been intense, especially when that mask had donned the teens face and pushed the panther arrancar to his limits. Grimmjow was just starting to have fun when the mask had shattered and that blond stranger had intervened. Not long after Ulquiorra had appeared and brought him back here. 

Gritting his teeth as he followed the other arrancar into the throne room, Grimmjow spotted a strange human woman with long orange hair that was a shade lighter than the Substitute soul reapers. He watched her for a few minutes but quickly lost interest and zoned out of the droning going on in the large throne room. He was eventually snapped back to reality when he heard Aizen dismiss all present. Just as he was about to turn around and leave with the rest of the arrancar he heard his name.

“Grimmjow, I would like you to stay” Aizen’s voice was that same dreary tone it always was and the blunette hated it as he could never read what mood the man was it. 

Grimmjow turned and walked to stand in front of the Lord of Las Noches. He bowed at the waist and spoke calmly. “Yes Lord Aizen” 

The soul reaper traitor chuckled and gave a sly grin. “I must admit I am deeply disappointed in you my former Sexta. I had hoped you had learnt from your last mistake. I would ask why you disobeyed my orders again but I do not care for your reasons” 

The blunette silently swallowed a lump in his throat and tried to remain calm and uncaring. “My deepest apologies my Lord. Please allow me to make up for my foolish actions”

Aizen rose from his throne and slowly walked towards Grimmjow, who struggled to keep himself from stepping backwards. Just as the Lord stood only a few feet in front of his target he unleashed a powerful wave of reiatsu that instantly forced the blunette to drop to his knees. “Oh don’t worry you will make up for your actions, just not how you might have thought”.

Before Grimmjow could reply he felt a painful grip in his hair and he was pulled along after Aizen who continued to use his spiritual pressure to keep the feline arrancar subdued. The former Sexta was dragged down a long flight of stairs and repeatedly lost his footing causing him to fall only to be pulled across the floor until he was able to briefly find his feet. 

Eventually the Lord stopped in front of a narrow door way that automatically opened, he tossed the former Espada into the tiny cell causing Grimmjow to land face first onto the ground. Before he was able to push himself up Aizen grabbed his arms and pulled them behind his back and secured his wrists together with cuffs that immediately began to suck out all his reiatsu. Shortly after his ankles were secured in the same manner. Grimmjow somehow manage to crane his head to look up at Aizen with pleading eyes, just as he was about to beg for forgiveness a solid bar of metal was forced between his lips prying his jaw painfully open and was secured with a strap behind his head. 

Now that his captive was properly secure Aizen took a step back and looked down at his bound toy. “Now Grimmjow, don’t look at me like that. You have brought this upon yourself. I must admit I didn’t think I would be using you for this particular experiment but I think it will work out well” With that said the Lord of Las Noches left the small cell. 

Grimmjow was left alone. At first he fought against the cuffs that bound him but after a few days he lost all strength. He felt his stomach twist in pains of hunger and because his spiritual energy was being sucked out of him the pain almost became unbearable. His jaw now constantly ached from being kept open and his muscles were starting to cramp horribly from lack of use. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed but he actually almost cried in relief when that door finally opened. He hoped that Aizen had a change of heart and would lighten his punishment but he had no such luck. 

The Lord walked in to the cell followed by that blind bastard Tousen. Grimmjow swore he could see a look of enjoyment on the man’s face. At first the blunette damp clothes were cut from his body and he was then strung up from the ceiling by his bound wrists, the cuffs had a strange function that allowed Aizen to separate his wrists and reposition them. Grimmjow glared at his Lord and refused to make a sound. 

Aizen looked over his naked test subject before turning to his blind comrade. “I’m glad you agreed to assist me Kaname, as I explained earlier I have a theory that the evolution of arrancar can go further” The brunette ex-Capitan spoke as he reached into his robe and pulled out the Hogyoku. Blue eyes widened as he finally realizes what the Master of Hueco Mundo had in store for him. Grimmjow instantly started to struggle. “Now Grimmjow, I advise you stop that” But the blunette refused to listen and repeatedly pulled against his bound wrists. 

A solid punch in the chest landed by Tousen, instantly winded the struggling feline arrancar making him slump in his bonds. Aizen smiled and approached the now still blunette, he slowly raised the Hogyoku and as his slipped his reiatsu into it to activate it. Just as the devices began to glow the brunette reached out and placed it directly inside Grimmjow’s Hollow hole. The former Sexta let out a muffled scream of agony as his whole body convulsed, he felt as though he had be set on fire. 

Both former Gotei 13 captains stood back and watched in amusement as the Hogyoku surrounded Grimmjow in a white light. The cried of pain never ceased and the poor panther arrancar’s body constantly thrashed in agony as the orb of destruction forced his entire soul to change its make up. Hours passed and the torture never stopped. Grimmjow didn’t know how he was still conscious and prayed desperately for the sweet relief of the black abyss. Aizen had gone as far as removing the Hogyoku only to power it up even more and this time placed it against the poor man’s chest right above his heart and the agony was a thousand times worse.

Eventually the orb lost power and dropped onto the floor. Aizen and Tousen just continued to watch as Grimmjow’s body began to physically change. Firstly his hole began to shrink until it was none existent and in its place was taught muscle and tanned skin, the only other noticeable change was the fact that the panther arrancar had lost a bit of height, only an inch or so but it was still noticeable. The former Sexta was now limply hanging from his wrists and was gasping for breath around his gag. With a flick of his hand the cuffs around Grimmjow’s wrist separated from above his head and the blunette fell into a heap onto the floor and the cuffs reconnected behind his back. “Kaname could you please take the readings then make sure he gets a bit of food, we don’t want our little kitten to die from hunger now do we” 

Tousen acknowledged his Lords orders and went about gathering the requested information as Aizen left the room. Grimmjow could do nothing but lay there as he was manhandled to lay on his back, cold hands ran over his naked stomach and he shivered in disgust. Once the hand had felt his new flesh it was with drawn and shortly after he heard footsteps leave the room. The former Sexta’s body still twitched as painful electric pulses ran threw his exhausted muscles. 

Far too soon the foot steps returned making Grimmjow open his eyes to see that Tousen had returned holding a small plate. The blunette bit back a groan and turned his head away from the man who had now crouched down next to him. A rough hand gripped his hair and held him still while the strap of the gag was undone and the mental bar slipped from his lips. Before he had chance to move his stiff jaw a small lump of tasteless squidgy stuff was forced into his mouth and a that same hand force his head back so that his only option was to swallow the strange stuff. This repeated another five times and the gag was once again forced back into between his lips. Grimmjow was left alone and he finally had the joy of passing out. 

As a couple of weeks passed Aizen’s experiments didn’t end, the Ex-Capitan wanted to find out what impact the Hogyoku had had on his former Sexta. Grimmjow was subjected to agonizing experiments, he was cut open while still awake, his pain threshold was pushed past its limits by multiple and constant beatings but the worse was yet to come. 

One particular day Aizen was hearing Szayal-Aporro’s latest report when the Octava Espada mentioned something interesting. “Did you just say several male Beta Adjuchas have been impregnated?” Szayel looked confused that this uninteresting piece of information had caught his Lords attention but confirmed his report. “Szayel please tell me more about how Hollows mate and what conditions need to be met for a successful breeding” The Octava was still confused but told Aizen all he knew. Shortly after he was excused and the former Captain called for Tousen. 

“How can I be of service Lord Aizen” The blind soul reaper asked. 

Aizen let a sick smile grace his lips. “I have a new experiment to put our kitten though, please summon our Quinto Espada Nnoitra. We will need his assistance for this one” Tousen bowed to his master and went to collect the Quito. 

Grimmjow had barely regained consciousness from his last round of torture when the door slid open, he failed to hold back a sob of dread as Aizen entered the cell. The Lord circled him and waved his hand that made the cuffs around both the former Sexta’s wrists and ankles to move him into a new position.  
This was the first time his wrist were bound above his head and his legs were pulled upwards and open, exposing his limp manhood. Grimmjow felt extremely vulnerable in this new and strange position. 

“I have a new theory I would like to try out Grimmjow, It has recently come to my attention that you are a Beta and well let’s see if we can breed our kitty” Aizen’s voice dripped with amusement and he began to laugh when Grimmjow began to fight his bonds once again and he let out muffled pleas. “Its no use kitty. Its going to happen so you might as well try to enjoy it, ah there’s your mating partner now” 

The blunette glances to the door and started to sob when he saw Nnoitra looming in the narrow doorway. Of all the arrancar Nnoitra was known to be the cruelest. “So this is where Grimmjow disappeared to, is there a reason you needed me Lord Aizen?” the Quinto asked.

Aizen grinned again and answered “Yes Nnoitra, I would like you to breed our dear Sexta here” 

Nnoitra looked confused for a second then it finally sunk in and a cruel grin crept across his face. “So you want me to breed this bitch? Sounds like fun” The tall Espada quickly shrugged off his own clothes. Grimmjow began to struggle again as he tried to get way from the Quinto who was stalking between his spread thighs.

There was no preparation, no kind touched, no words spoken. The ridiculously tall Espada just lined up his long thick erection with Grimmjow’s tight and unprepared entrance and brutally thrust forward. The blunette cried out in pain and felt hot tears stream from his dull blue eyes. He instantly felt his inner walls tear around Nnoitra’s thick member and blood drip from between his spread thighs. It was that exact moment that Grimmjow’s spirt completely broke. He no longer struggled against his cuffs he just went lax as his body was brutally abused and taken. He lost. 

The brutal mating went on for a good few hours. Aizen had eventually got bored and left the Quinto to have his fun. By the time he had returned Grimmjow was just dully looking at the ceiling as Nnoitra came inside him again. “Have you had your fun now Nnoitra?” 

The Quinto was about to protest but the look that Aizen gave him told him he was better off just agreeing. Nnoitra quickly cleaned up and redressed before leaving the cell and was informed that he was not to inform anyone about Grimmjow’s whereabouts. The blunette was dropped back on to the floor and rebound in his usual way and was left in the dark. 

A few days later Aizen tested to see if the mating had worked and was frustrated to find it had been a failure. He wondered if it was due to the changes to Grimmjow’s body, that he could no longer bare a hollows cub. He had a back up plan for this. The next mating would be with a soul reaper. 

The next time Grimmjow was placed in that position he knew exactly what was going to happen. He didn’t fight, he didn’t plead, he just allowed his body to be maneuvered into the desired positon. The blunette half expected Nnoitra to reappear but this time it was Tousen who disrobed in front of him. The former Sexta closed his eyes and let it happen. Tousen wasn’t as rough as Nnoitra but it still hurt immensely. Things went the same way as last time and eventually Grimmjow was again left on the cold hard floor while he bled and ached.

Aizen growled this time when he discovered his latest attempt to breed the former Sexta had once again been a failure. He paced his throne room when an interesting idea popped into his head. When they had recently tested Grimmjow’s reiatsu, Kaname had discovered that it was becoming less like an arrancar’s and more like a Vizard. So maybe that was the answer. But the dilemma was how was he going to get a Vizard to mate with the former Espada? 

As Aizen though about it he soon developed a plan to use a certain orange haired Vizard that he was confident he could manipulate with his Zanpakuto. He would have to time it perfectly for it to work but the Lord of Las Noches knew he could make this work. Three days later the plan was in place. All Aizen had to do was bring Grimmjow along with him to the Living world. 

In the dead of night a ripple of a Garganta split the sky. Aizen himself stepped through with a large white sack heaved over his shoulder. He had used one of his Octava’s inventions that was capable of completely hiding reiatsu from detection, it had allowed him to come here to the living world knowing that none of the soul reapers would even know he was here. The Lord quickly located his intended target and flash stepped in their direction.

In a moment he was hovering above the Kurosaki clinic and located the exact room that the orange haired teen was sleeping in. Slowly he lowered himself so that he was level with the bedroom window and smiled at the snoring teen. Perfect. Aizen unsheathed Kyoka Suigetsu and activated it’s hypnotic ability. Ichigo’s eyes snap open as he sits up and slides his window open allowing Aizen and his captive into his bedroom. 

Once his feet touch the carpeted floor Aizen dumps the sack onto the floor and opens it revealing a still bound and gaged Grimmjow. The former Sexta blinks his dull blue eyes a few times as he adjusts to the light and as he turns his head and spots Ichigo he can’t stop the whine of fear that leaves his throat. “Quiet Grimmjow, we need to get this over with quickly” Aizen flicks his wrist and the blunette is pulled into position on his hands and knees on the substitute soul reapers bedroom floor. 

Grimmjow looks over his shoulder and sees a dazed Ichigo climb off his bed and strip himself off. Even with a broken spirt the former Sexta tried to crawl away, he managed about a foot before Aizen clenched his fist. The cuffs around his wrist and ankles forced him to freeze. All Grimmjow could do was close his eyes and let the tears run down his cheeks. Like the previous times he was entered with out any preparation or lubricant and his insides tore. Ichigo’s thrust were very mechanical and knowing that Aizen was controlling the teen made this even more painful. 

It didn’t take long for the teen to pick up speed and then stutter his thrusts as he came inside the feline arrancar. This time Grimmjow felt it, he felt the warmth flood his insides and he knew it was working. Ichigo’s seed was settling within his stomach and forming new life. The blunette let out a muffled sob. He was now pregnant with Ichigo’s cubs. Aizen burst out in laughter as even he could sense the new life beginning to form inside his former Sexta. The Lord quickly went about making Ichigo dress and return to his bed as he wrapped his toy back in the sack. He was grinning as he exited the bedroom and opened a Garganta to return to Las Noches. Upon their return Grimmjow was throw back into his cell and Aizen went to inform Tousen of the good news. 

The weeks that followed were still agonizing as Aizen did test after test to see how the cubs were forming and how Grimmjow’s body was handling being pregnant. It was late one night that saw the former Sexta have a unexpected visitor. Before he could even recognize who was in his cell Grimmjow was injected with a strange green liquid that instantly rendered the pregnant Beta unconscious. The next time he would awaken he would finally be out of this hell. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for putting Grimm through this but it needed to happen for what is yet to come. I hope you can forgive me. Please can you let me know your thoughts on this as I need some inspiration to keep this story going. 
> 
> Thank you for your support   
> RRL xx


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys heres Chapter 4 hope you all enjoy.

Shortly after Grimmjow had drifted to sleep in the orange haired teens embrace the soul reaper had followed the pregnant arrancar into dreamland. For several hours both males had laid peacefully together wrapped in each others arms. Ichigo was rudely awoken by a sudden head-butt to the chin and a loud pain filled whine. The teen instantly snapped to alertness and sat up as he looked around for danger. He heard the same pained cry and looked down to the blunette. Grimm had tears flowing from his eyes and was whimpering, he was obviously locked inside a horrible nightmare. 

Ichigo’s chest clenched as he felt his heart break at the sight of the once proud and powerful Sexta, reduced to a crying and whimpering kitten. Carefully he placed his hand on the dreaming feline arrancar’s shoulder and gave him a gentle shake. “Grimmjow, wake up. It ok” It took a few attempts but the pregnant male eventually stirred from his dark slumber.

As Grimmjow slowly opened his eyes it took him a few minutes to realize that he was safe in Ichigo’s bedroom and not locked in that horrible dark and cold cell. As he looked up he noticed that the teen was staring at him with gentle honey brow eyes. The blunette soon realized his own eyes were damp from tears, he had been trapped in the nightmare of his recent torture at Aizen’s hands. Quickly he reached up and used his hand to wipe away the damp from his cheeks and sat up to look at the Alpha. “S…sorry about that”

The teen hadn’t removed his hand from the others shoulder and gave a gentle squeezes that he hoped was reassuring. “You don’t need to apologize Grimm, that looked like a bad nightmare are you ok?” Ichigo carefully watched the Sexta’s face for any indication he wasn’t.

Grimmjow simply nodded his head and turned his gaze away from the teen. In truth he wasn’t fine, he had just relived every painful moment that he had endured over the past several weeks and it only made his current situation all the more painful. I was sat opposite the sire of his cubs who didn’t even know the truth and he was too scared to reveal the truth to the Alpha. He was surprised by the teens acceptance of his pregnancy but he didn’t know how he would react to finding out that the panther arrancar had practically raped him, even if it was under Aizen’s control. The blunette was brought out of his thoughts when a long slim finger was placed under his chin and gently tilted his head up to look the orange haired teen in his honey brown eyes. 

“Grimm, I can tell there’s something worrying you. What ever it is you can tell me.” Ichigo spoke softly and gently ran his thumb along the blunettes jaw encouragingly. Grimmjow was conflicted, he felt the need to confess the truth to his Alpha but at the same time he was fearful of what could happen if the teen reacted badly. The teen continued to look at him with those brown eyes that he had once seen as mocking but now realized were full of worry. Finally something broke and the former Sexta gave in. 

“Ichigo… it’s the cubs…” He started to speak in a hushed voice that the teen could bearly hear. 

Instantly Ichigo began to worry that something was wrong with the life growing with in the Beta. “What is it Grimm is some thing wrong with… wait did you say cubs… as in multiple?”

The pregnant arrancar slowly nodded his head and forced himself to continue before he lost the nerve. “Yes… I…I’m a panther type Hollow… so i…it’s natural for me to bare a litter but… well it’s about who is their sire is…” Grimmjow paused as he felt a lump of anxiety swell at the back of his throat. He just needed to say it that was all. Opening his mouth he tried to force the words out but the only sound that escaped his lips was a high pitched whine. 

Ichigo scrunched his brow in concern, he had wondered who had fathered Grimm’s cubs but he hadn’t wanted to dwell on the thought because it was quite obvious that they hadn’t been conceived consensually. He was prepared to listen to anything the blunette was prepared to share with him but he had to steel himself mentally as he knew that what Grimmjow suffered was deeply horrific and would push his own mental strengths to its limit. As he watched the Sexta struggle to get out the last bit of what he wanted to say the teen took hold of the blunettes hand and squeezed. “Grimm it’s ok, if your not ready to tell me…”

Grimmjow took in a deep breath and finally forced to word’s from his lips and interrupted the teen. “No… I need to say it now… Ichigo… you… you’re the sire… Aizen he…” 

The orange haired teen heard the words and instantly felt anger flow through him, sending out waves of furious red reiatsu. How the fuck was he the sire?! What had Aizen done to him?! Why the hell hadn’t Grimmjow told him sooner?!. **‘King! For fuck sake chill out! Look at Grimm, look at what your doing to him!’**

The former Sexta had stared at the teen and as soon as he felt the soul reapers reiatsu rise in fury he backed away as far as possible. When his back met the wall he pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them and buried his head, quivers of complete terror racked through his body. He had angered his Alpha, it was his Alpha’s right to punish him and even force him to get rid of the cubs. Hiding his face he waited for Ichigo to administer his punishment.

Ichigo heard Shiro’s anger in his voice and looked up to find the blunette cowering in the corner of the bed. **‘You have terrified him King, I can tell from his scent that he is trying to placate you. He probably thinks he has angered you and your going to punish him for it, Fix this King! NOW!’** Ichigo didn’t know why Shiro was so upset over this but he was right, the teen had scared his Beta and now needed to put it right. ‘What do I need to do Shiro?’ He asked.

‘ **You need to rein in your reiatsu for one then try that rumble, it shows that your not angry with him** ’ Ichigo followed his hollows orders and pulled in his reiatsu, he then focused on making his chest rumble, it took him a few seconds but eventually his chest started vibrate and the low rumble echoed around the room. Keeping his gaze on Grimmjow he watched as the feline arrancar slowly stopped shaking and then cautiously peeked from behind his arms and looked at the teen. The soul reaper continued to make the low comforting sound and slowly shifted closer to the pregnant Beta. **‘Slow down King, he’s still scared of you. Talk to him, tell him it’s ok and your not angry with him’**

The teen let out a small breath and followed the instructions. “Grimm I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you, I’m not angry with you. Its ok I am not going to hurt you or our cubs I promise” It felt strange to admit the cubs were his but also felt right at the same time. He still didn’t know how it had happened but he now felt a rush of protectiveness at knowing that the blunette was baring his young. He must finally be getting through to Grimmjow as the Sexta had now almost completely uncurled himself and was now slightly leaning forward. Acting on instinct Ichigo open his arms and in an instant the feline arrancar crawled over to him and curled up against his chest.

Grimmjow took a hold of Ichigo’s shirt and buried his head against the material as he couldn’t hold back the sobs that overwhelmed him. The teen just wrapped his arms around the blunette and held him tight. He heard the rumble coming from the soul reapers chest increase in volume as well as a warm comforting scent filled his nostrils. 

Ichigo held the pregnant Beta close to his chest and made the rumble from his chest and a soft hushing from his lips in hopes of calming Grimmjow. He even began to rock his body. ‘ **Well done King, he should calm soon but you need to reassure him that you will protect him and the cubs. We still don’t know what that bastard did to him and he’s going to be very weak from the pregnancy’.** The teen just nodded his head and turned his focus back to the male in his arms. 

Slowly Grimm’s breathing evened out and the panther arrancar complete sank against the soul reaper. Ichigo held the blunette tight for a few more minutes before he carefully pulled away slightly to look at the pregnant Betas face. “Grimmjow, I’m so sorry for scaring you. I am not angry that your pregnant or that the cubs are mine. I want you to know I will do everything I can to protect them and you. But I need to know how they were conceived. I won’t be angry at you I promise, if I feel anger it will be at Aizen for hurting you” 

The feline arrancar tensed slightly but nodded his head. Taking in a few deep breaths, he tightened his grip on the teens shirt and hid his head under the Alpha’s chin. He finally found the strength to speak “W…when Aizen found out I was a Beta he said he wanted to b…breed me. He had both N…Nnoitra and Tousen mate with me but their seed wouldn’t take” Grimmjow paused as he felt a shiver run down his spine at the memory. The orange haired teen just rubbed his back and rumbled his chest encouraging the blunette to continue. “Aizen brought me here… to the living world. I think he used his Zanpakuto to… control you. He made me take it… take you… inside me. I knew straight away it had worked, I felt the cubs” 

The soul reaper felt his Beta begin to shake again and began to hush him softly and rocked once again. “Shhh… Its ok, Grimm. Its going to be ok. I’m sorry you had to go through all that but I’m here for you now. I won’t let Aizen hurt you ever again or our cubs”.

Both males were so distracted by their current situation that they failed to notice Ichigo’s bedroom window slide open or the familiar reiatsu that was emanating from outside. Just as the teenage soul reaper had finished speaking they were alerted to the new presences when they heard a loud voice shout. “WHAT!” the voice was shortly followed by a heavy thud.

Ichigo reacted first and gently pushed Grimm out of his lap and grasped his badge. In an instant he had shed his body and was stood in his soul reaper form in front of the pregnant Beta, who had crawled back into the corner of the bed in fear. The teen turned to the blunette and whispered, “Its going to be ok Grimm, I know who it is and he’s about to get his ass kicked”.   
  
The orange haired teen unsheathed Zangetsu and jumped out of the open window. He landed on the ground and pointed his blade at a very familiar red head. “Renji what are you doing here?”

The lieutenant soul reaper was currently sat on the concrete of the clinics garden path and was rubbing his sore head. He had only just opened Ichigo’s bedroom window when he had spotted the substitute holding that blue haired arrancar that had not so long ago been trying to kill everyone. Renji had just been about to announce his presence when he heard the teen say that he would protect the arrancar as well as their cubs. It only took the red head a second to realize what his friend meant and he couldn’t stop the startled word from escaping his lips as he had lost his balance and he had fallen from the first story window. 

When he heard his orange haired friend speak to him, Renji opened his eyes he was met with the tip of Ichigo’s Zanpakuto only inches from his chest. The red head looked up at the teen with panicked eyes and tried to explain himself. “I just came to talk to you Ichigo, I swear I’m not here to hurt anyone!”

The substitute took a step forward but didn’t lower his sword. “I’m your friend Renji but I can’t trust that you won’t go to the Captains.” He watched the downed soul reaper as he raised his hands in and attempt to show he was not a threat.

The red headed soul reaper felt his stomach clench in panic and fear as he could tell just from the look on the teens face that he would kill him to protect that Espada in his room. Renji was lost for words, he had volunteered to visit the orange haired teen in the hope of talking to him about a sensitive subject. “Please Ichigo, I swear I won’t tell a soul about him. I don’t want to fight you… please” He kept his gaze locked the teens brown eyes and mentally pleaded.

Ichigo had failed to notice that the lieutenant was unarmed and once again took a step closer so that he was now only a few feet away from the soul reaper. The tip of Zangetsu was now only millimeters away from the red heads chest and Renji had even leaned further back so that he was almost lay down. “Give me one reason to believe you Renji… because I can’t think of one” Ichigo’s instincts were telling him to dispose of the threat that was laid out in front of him. 

All thought escaped from the red heads mind and he was overwhelmed by fear. He was about to die here, killed by one he called friend. The intense stress to the lieutenants body made his stomach angrily protest and all of a sudden he felt the burning in the back of his throat. Renji had just about managed to twist his upper body before he his gut clenched painfully and he emptied his stomach all over the clinics flower bed. He heaved and felt tears sting his eyes as he was left helpless.

The orange haired teen had prepared to attack when Renji had moved but was frozen by shock when the red head had suddenly vomited. He watched in silence as the soul reaper emptied his stomach contents and continued to heave even when nothing but yellow bile came from the tattooed man’s lips. Ichigo felt himself start to think more rationally when he finally realized that his friend had started to cry. He didn’t move but lowered his blade. 

Eventually Renji stopped vomiting and was left lay on his side gasping for breath. The teen stepped a side and crouched down so that the red head could see him. “What’s wrong with you Renji?”

Renji coughed and spat out a final bit of bile and panted as he tried to catch his breath. Both his eyes and throat were burning and his gut felt as though he had just been punched by Zaraki in a good mood. Once he had a bit more control of his breathing he opened his eyes and looked at Ichigo who he was relieved to see had lowered his blade. He sighed and turned to role away from the vomit that was staring to smell. “Nothing is wrong with me Ichigo, I probably ate something bad” Just as he was about to sit himself up he heard the swish of a blade and was once again faced with the shape end of Ichigo’s blade. 

“Don’t lie to me Renji, I’m not in a good mood at the moment and you don’t want to piss me off any more than I already am” Ichigo practically snarled. He was still on edge from the recent revelation that he had been controlled by Aizen and had been forced to rape Grimmjow. He had managed to keep calm in front of the blunette but now that he was faced with a possible threat his hollow instincts were starting to take over. He could barely hear Shiro who was shouting at him from his inner world but sounded like he was under water. The teen pressed his sword against Renji’s exposed stomach and once again demanded. “Tell me what is wrong with you, I can sense that your spiritual pressure is different”

The red head felt the powerful wave of reiatsu flow from Ichigo and was again over whelmed by fear. In all the time he had known the teen he had never seen him like this. When the sharp point of Zangetsu pressed closer to his middle Renji finally broke he closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around his stomach and cried out. “Please Ichigo stop… I’m pregnant too… please I’m pregnant…” 

Ichigo instantly froze as he felt as though he had been hit by a wave of cold water. Every part of his hollow instinct faded away as he was over come by a shock. How the hell was it, that in less than 24 hours something that had should be completely impossible, males being pregnant, became so true that it was not only possible it affected both Grimmjow and Renji. The orange haired teen couldn’t even question Renji’s honesty, the red head was currently holding back tears as he was still muttering pleas. Finally the substitute soul reaper pulled his sword away and stepped backwards. This was too much to handle but he needed to know one last thing. “Who… who is the father?.. please tell me Renji I need to know…”

Renji was still in a state of panic and didn’t even hesitate to answer the question. “It’s Byakuya…” The red head hadn’t even noticed that Ichigo had removed his blade and was mentally praying that the teen believed him.

The teen let out a sigh of relief, he couldn’t handle being told he had been forced to do the same thing to Renji as he did to Grimm. Shit Grimmjow. Without even thinking about what he had just done to the poor red head Ichigo turned around and jumped back into his window. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww poor Renji. He really dosnt deserve that but Ichi is in full Alpha mode and is protecting his Beta and Cubs. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the added twist and don't worry it gets better for poor Renji soon 
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts.
> 
> RRL x


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys, I finally finished chapter 5. It's a bit shorter that I wanted but I'm going to make up for it with the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy.

When he landed inside his bedroom he looked around and felt panic creep up into his chest when he failed to spot his pregnant Beta. “Grimmjow, Its ok now. Where are you?” The teen shouted and started to hurriedly look around his room. His body was now on the floor and there was no sight of the blunette in any of the possible hiding places in the room. Ichigo rushed out of the room and started hunting the house. “Grimmjow! Answer me!” As he just reached the bottom of the stairs he heard a muffled sound that came from the living room. 

As he ran into the room he instantly spotted the missing feline arrancar who had some how managed to squeeze himself in a small gap between the wall and a bookshelf. The teen let out a deep breath and cautiously approached the scared Beta. “Grimm, hey… it’s ok now, your not in danger”. Ichigo was only a foot away from the hiding Sexta when blue eyes snapped open and realized that it was his Alpha who was reaching out to him. 

Grimmjow quickly extracted himself from his hiding spot and practically jumped into Ichigo’s arms. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…I’m sorry…” He wrapped his own arms around the orange haired teens torso and hid his face in the soul reapers chest. When he felt the Alpha tightly embrace him the blunette began to shake. 

“Its ok Grimm… I know you were scared, come back upstairs it’s safe now. Renji is still here but he’s not going to hurt you. He’s pregnant too… one of the other soul reapers mated with him” Ichigo slowly pulled away and started to guide the Beta back to the stairs. He could see that Grimmjow was apprehensive but followed anyway. Once they were back in the room the teen directed the blunette back to the bed and as the feline arrancar crawled on to it the orange haired teen grabbed the blanket and wrapped it back around the still naked Sexta’s body. 

The pregnant Beta gripped the blanket tightly and looked up to his Alpha. “Did you say that the soul reaper was pregnant too… how is that possible” 

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know Grimm but I need to go and make sure Renji’s is ok. I really scared him and I think he needs help. Are you going to be ok for a few minutes while I go an check that he’s not hurt?” The teen looked into the blunettes eyes and waited for his approval. Thankfully Grimmjow nodded his head and gave him a small smile. The substitute soul reaper returned the smile and leant forward to give the feline arrancar a quick pet on the head before he jumped back out of the window.

He was surprised to see that Renji was still in the same position on the floor from when he left and was still holding his middle. Ichigo mentally cursed himself for being an aggressive idiot that had terrified his friend, well done Ichigo Kurosaki. Slowly the teen walked towards his friend and crouched down next to the tattooed man. “Renji?.. Hey, I’m so sorry” The moment he spoke made the read head jump in surprise and looked up at him with wide dark brown eyes.

Renji was startled by Ichigo’s sudden reappearance and looked his friend over and was slightly relieved to see that he didn’t have his Zanpakuto. The lieutenant was still tense but turned slightly to face the teen and softly spoke. “Ichigo… I swear I won’t say anything about him… I don’t know if I can even go back to the soul society with… you know… I’m scared Ichigo” As he admitted his fear the red head felt tears well in his eyes. 

Ichigo sighed and held out a hand to his friend. “Come on Renji, let’s get you cleaned up. Grimm wants to meet you as well” The teen watched the red headed soul reaper slowly nod his head and took his offered hand. Gently the substitute helped pull the tattooed man to his feet and gave him a moment to find his balance. Just as he was about to let go Renji squeezed his hand, turning back to look at the lieutenant he was surprised when the taller man looking at the floor and didn’t say anything. The teen gave his friend a small smile and guided him to under the window. He nodded his head and jumped up to the window and Renji followed him. 

As they landed on the bed Ichigo was pleased to see that Grimmjow was where he had left him. He soon realized though that Renji had moved off the bed and had quickly moved to the other side of the small room. There was a long moment of silence while the three males simply exchanged looks. The orange haired teen was the first to move as he jumped of the bed and picked up his body from the floor and forced his soul back inside it. He hoped being in his human body would help both pregnant males relax a bit. 

Now in his living form Ichigo was taken off guard when he suddenly felt his stomach clench as it growled loudly. When was the last time he ate anything? He looked between the soul reaper and the arrancar and spoke. “I don’t know about you two but I’ve just realized I’m starving, I’m going to go to the kitchen for some food. Do either of you want some?” As he looked between the red head and the blunette he instantly pick up that Renji was just looking at him blankly but Grimmjow’s expression was full of curiosity and hunger. 

He didn’t know the dietary requirements of a arrancar but that look of pure starvation that the Beta was giving him told him it couldn’t hurt to give the feline arrancar some human food. “Grimm do you want something to eat?” The only response he got was an eager nod. Turning to Renji he asked the same question. “Renji I know you were sick but I think it might help if you have a bit of food too” 

The red head looked at his friend for a moment before his shoulders slumped and he nodded. “Sure I’ll have a bit, erm… do you want a hand in the kitchen?” He hoped Ichigo would agree so that he was not left alone in the bed room with the other pregnant male. He saw the teen contemplate his offer before he nodded his head.

“Sure you can help” Ichigo had seen the look of worried on his red headed friend and accepted his help. It would give him chance to apologize properly and hopefully get him to relax and open up. He smiled and turned to the feline arrancar “Grimm I’m gonna make some food with Renji, why don’t you relax a bit and we will bring it up, ok” The blunette nodded enthusiastically before curling up against the head of the bed and buried himself in the red blanket. That reminded him he needed to find away to get the Beta some clothes, he couldn’t just dress him in his own clothes as anyone who couldn’t see sprits would just see floating cloths. The teen let out a soft chuckle at the thought before turning to his friend and gestured to the door. “Come on Ren” 

Grimmjow peered from under the blanket as he watched to two soul reapers leave the bedroom. Finally he was alone without the feeling of dread controlling his mind and body. He let out a deep sigh and leaned back into the fluffy pillow that smelled strongly of Ichigo. Now he was able to fully process the events of the last hour.

When he had realized the red headed soul reaper, who he remembered had taken out Yyfordt,, was outside he instantly felt his fear go to full blown terror. Grimmjow was overwhelmed by instinct that told him to get as far away from the danger as possible. He had moved as fast as his exhausted and battered body could carry him and had rushed out of the room and down the stairs, as soon as he found the living room the smallest space he could find was between the bookshelf and the wall so he had forced himself into the gap. He had remained still until his Alpha had eventually found him and reassured him he was safe.

Once he had learned that the soul reaper, who he now knew was named Renji, was pregnant, Grimmjow’s nerves had settled a bit. He now trusted his Alpha and if Ichigo said that the red head wasn’t a threat then he would believe him. The more he thought about it the more he became curious as to how such a thing was possible. 

For a hollow genders such as male and female were irrelevant, what mattered was their status as Alpha like Ichigo and Beta like himself, that allowed them to breed and produce offspring. Most hollow didn’t know their status until they evolved in to higher level Adjuchas and even then the chances to breed were slim. It was quite hard to find another Adjuchas of the opposite status that was strong enough or compatible enough to mate. When Betas found a compatible Alpha to mate with they would have to solely rely on their mate to protect them, it actually wasn’t uncommon for expecting pairs to come together and form packs in order to protect the young cubs. Alphas would hunt and fight off any threats and the Betas would focus on rearing the young.

As far as he was aware he was the first arrancar to successfully mate since Aizen prohibited his soldiers from breeding. But he was unsure what effect Aizen’s experiment to further evolve him had and what impact it had on his body. The feline had vague memories of hearing the bastard mention that he was the more like a Vizard now than an arrancar. What the hell was a Vizard anyway? 

Grimmjow soon realized his thoughts had drifted and brought himself back to his previous wonderings of the pregnant soul reaper. As far as he remembered soul reapers were different from hollows and only the females could carry young. Was there something he hadn’t learned and it was actually possible for males to become pregnant? He would have to ask Ichigo. He would admit to himself though that he now saw the pregnant soul reaper as a fellow Beta who didn’t have a Alpha to protect him. If he was still an Adjuchas the feline would feel compelled to offer his help to any bred Beta without a mate. As he continued to think about the pregnant red head Grimmjow eventually dozed off, his own pregnancy taking a toll on his already exhausted body. 

Down stairs in the kitchen Ichigo had busied himself with rooting through the cupboards and fridge to find what food was available. Eventually he had found the necessary ingredients to make gyudon. Contrary to popular belief Ichigo could actually cook. Before Yuzu had taken the role of family cook it was the orange haired teen that had made almost every meal for his family since his old man was about as much use in the kitchen as a paper frying pan. 

The teen quickly set out all the ingredients and cook ware before turning to Renji who had been stood in by the fridge looking lost. “Hey Renji can you give me a hand?” The red head startled for a second then nodded his head. “Good, can you fill the rice cooker and keep an eye on it until the rice is done” As he spoke Ichigo held up a back of dried rice and handed it to the lieutenant. Thankfully Renji knew what he was doing and started cooking the rice, giving the teen the freedom to fry up the beef and vegetables. 

While he was stood over the stove Ichigo tried to think of what to say to his friend. After a few long silent minutes the teen finally spoke. “I’m really sorry about before Renji, I don’t know what came over me. All I was thinking about was protecting Grimm”

The red haired soul reaper turned a dial down on the rice cooker and twisted to face the teen. “It’s ok Ichigo. I understand, he’s pregnant with your kid and you saw me as a danger to them” Renji looked back at the cooker and was glad that Ururu had taught him how to use this contraption. The lieutenant admitted he understood but he honestly still felt hurt that his friend had threaten to kill him. He hadn’t been that scared since the day he had fought Byakuya in his attempt to save Rukia. The thought of the dark haired noble sent a shiver up Renji’s spine, how the hell was he supposed to tell his captain that he was pregnant with his child. 

The red head was snapped out of his thoughts when he suddenly realized Ichigo was now stood only inches away from him and was looking at him with a concerned expression on his face. Renji took a quick step backwards and snapped. “What the hell? Why did you get so close baka?!”

Ichigo had responded to his friend but had been met with a dazed look. The teen had even turned off the stove and stepped closer to the red head in concern. “You blanked out for a sec there Renji. I… I need to ask, what’s going on with this…?” the substitute could only wave his hands in front of the lieutenants middle as he couldn’t find the words to express what he wanted to ask. He noticed that Renji looked away for a moment before he finally turned his attention back to the teen.

Renji was torn for a moment if he should reveal the truth or not but soon realized his best option was to talk to the only friend he felt he could trust. Quickly he checked the rice cooker before he turned it off and walked over to Ichigo’s dining table and sat down, the teen just followed him and sat opposite him. The red head took in a deep breath through his nose and spoke. “I…I only found out a few days ago. When I was here for the mission with the arrancar I was slowly getting weaker and my reiatsu was starting to feel strange. When we were summoned back to the Seireitei I was feeling really weird so I asked that squad 4 guy Hanataro if he would check me over. He ran some tests on me and found out I was pregnant”

The orange haired teen stared at his friend with sad eyes. He had so many questions but thought it best to let the tattooed man go at his own pace. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys I knocked this out a little earlier than I thought. 
> 
> Here's a bit of ByaRen for everyone.

Fuck, it was happening again. Renji was sat at his desk in the squad 6 barracks only three days after being ordered back from the Living World by the Head Captain, and once again the room was starting to spin. He had been having these dizzy moments more frequently and the had been more intense since coming back to the Soul Society. Something was wrong with him and had been for the last few weeks. 

While completing his mission to find and fight the arrancar in the Living World the lieutenant had noticed that he was becoming weaker and his spiritual pressure was being drained. Renji cursed again and once the room finally stopped spinning rose to his feet. He grabbed Zabimaru from the stand by the door and attached her to his obi as he walked out of his office and into the Seireitei. He took the quickest route to the Squad 4 barracks and instantly began to hunt for the small quiet 7th seat Hanataro. He was the only one he knew he could trust to check him over without reporting his unknown illness to his Capitan. 

He eventually found the small soul reaper cleaning one of the healing wings of the barracks. “Hey Hanataro there you are, I need you to do me a favor” As usual the smaller male shook where he stood and stuttered his reply. “L…Lieutenant Abarai, how can I help you?”   
  
Renji sighed at the 7th seats over dramatic reaction. “I’ve not been feeling so good, I was hoping you could check me over and see if something is wrong with me” 

Hanataro nodded and placed the sweeping brush he had been using into the corner of the room. He then instructed the lieutenant to follow him to an empty examination room. Once there the small squad four member moved a few things off a bed and turned to Renji. “Can you remove your Shihakusho, erm you can leave your hakama on though, and lay on the bed please” 

The red head did as he was asked and removed his upper clothing then lay on the thin examination bed. Once he was some what comfortable, Hanataro began to run his routine tests. He measured Renji’s reiatsu levels, took some blood samples and tested them with some strange looking kit, prodded and poked the lieutenant from head to toe and eventually came to a strange test where he asked the red head to go behind a curtain and pee in a cup. 

After a few hours Renji was starting to loose his patience. “Fuck sake Hanataro have you found out what’s up with me or not”. The lieutenant snapped making the meek male jump and shake.

“Erm I’m very sorry Lieutenant Abarai, there is just one more test I need to do can you please lay back on the bed and stay very still” Hanataro asked softly. 

Renji growled in frustration and angrily flopped back onto the bed. He lay flat on his back and raised his hands behind his head since his hair tied was digging into the back of his skull. He watched through half lidded eyes as the 7th seat retrieved a small round crystal that glowed with a dim white light. The small man pinched the crystal between his thumb and fore finger then moved it to hover an inch above the red heads tattooed stomach. The light of the round object began to get brighter and in a few seconds the color went from white to a soft blue then changed again to a vivid green. 

The red head scrunched his tattooed brows tight in confusion when he noticed the shocked expression on the shorter males face. “What the hell does that mean Hana?!”

Hanataro gulped and stuttered “I’m just going to do this test again with a new crystal” He quickly placed the green orb on a small table and retrieved a new one from a set of wooden draws that were opposite the bed. He felt his nerves rise as the angry lieutenant glared at him as he repeated the test. Repeating the process of holding the crystal above the red heads middle he watched as the light changed color in the exact same was as the first one. Well damn. “I d…don’t know how to tell you this lieutenant… but your pregnant” 

Renji sat up and stared with wide dark brown eyes for a moment before he burst out laughing. “Very funny, Hana. Now what’s really wrong with me?”

The dark haired healer shook his head. “I’m not joking, Lieutenant. You’re really pregnant” 

Suddenly Renji felt the room start to spin and he managed to force out. “H…How?....How is it possible?”

Hanataro swallowed a lump in his throat before he answered. “It has been known to happen. I read that in rare circumstances some males within the Soul Society are able to bare children. From what I know both the baring male and the sire have to have very strong spiritual pressure in order to conceive” 

Shit, shit, shit. He was so screwed. Renji was so very screwed. His mind instantly flashed to the day before he was due to leave on the mission.

**********

The last 24 hours had been hell for the poor red head. He had been at the lieutenants meeting with the others when Capitan Ukitake had entered the room to inform them that himself and Rangiku would be accompanying Capitan Hitsugaya, Ikakku and Yumichika to the World of the Living to study and hunt for Aizen’s little experiments know as arrancar. That was shortly followed by a mountain of paper work given to him by the Head Capitan himself, that he was told to complete before he headed out the next evening. 

Renji had been stuck at his desk ever since and now it had gone dark he was just about ready to bag his head against the wall until he fell unconscious. His fingers were cramping from all the writing he had done and his head pounded every time he stared at the amount of work he had left. It was close to midnight when he finally allowed himself a break. Just as he rose from his seat to stretch out his aching back the door to his office slid open, and like the noble he was Capitan Kuchiki strode into the room. 

“Oh your still here Renji?” Byakuya was genuinely surprised to see his lieutenant still at his desk this late at night, usually the red head left before the sun started to set and would meet with Hisagi and Kira for a few drinks before going back to his rooms at the barracks. 

Renji stiffened up at his Capitan sudden appearance and respectfully answered “Yes sir, I have to finish this paper work by morning. The Head Capitan wants to look it over before I leave on the mission tomorrow” The tattooed man watch as Byakuya nodded his head and walked towards his desk, silently the dark haired man picked up the most recent document and quickly scanned over his work. 

“I must say Renji you have done a good job so far, how much do you have left to complete?” The Squad 6 Capitan glanced at the remaining paper work and felt a slight pull of sympathy for his subordinate, surely all this would take hours. What had the Yamamoto been thinking to put all this on to one man? He noticed how Renji’s shoulders slumped in exhaustion and quickly made a decision he usually wouldn’t even contemplate. 

The red head sighed as he held back a groan of frustration. He really didn’t need Byakuya’s stoic attempt at small talk or his gorgeous gray eyes staring at him. “I still have all this to do” He pointed to the thirteen piles of papers that were stacked on the right hand side of the large desk. “I should hopefully have it done by sun rise” He noticed that the Capitan’s expression changed slightly before he turned around. Renji had expected the taller man to leave him to his torture but was shocked when all Byakuya did was retrieve a chair from the corner of his office and place it at the other side of the desk.

The noble sat himself down and picked up a small stack of papers from the nearest pile and placed them in front of himself. “I will help you get this done, your going on an important mission tomorrow and you need some rest before hand” Byakuya gave a sideways glance when he noticed his lieutenant didn’t move after a few minutes, he instantly noticed that Renji was staring at him with wide eyes and a look of total shock. It couldn’t be that surprising that he would offer help to his subordinate, was it? “Renji are you just going to stand there or are you going to accept my help?”

Renji jumped to attention then moved to sit back down. He had been completely startled by Capitan Kuchiki’s offer to help that his brain had almost shut down. “Sorry sir, I’m just a bit tired” He cautiously watched as Byakuya just nodded his head and turned his attention to the piece of paper in his hand. Wait was that a smile?! The tattooed man quickly shook his head to get that thought out of his mind before forcing himself to pick up where he had left off.

A long tiresome hour passed in silence and both males kept their focus on the task at hand. Truth be told Renji was extremely relieved to see that the stack of unfinished papers had practically halved in that time. He was certain that if he had been doing this alone he wouldn’t have done even a fifth of what had been completed with his Capitan’s help. Just as he finished signing the current document in front of him he heard Byakuya’s chair creak as the noble rose to his feet. “Renji I’m going to get a cup of tea, would you care for one?” 

The red head looked up and slowly nodded. “Yes please, that would be greatly appreciated sir”. Renji watch as Byakuya’s Captains robe swayed as the noble turned and left the room. Shit, he was having those feelings again. He didn’t know when he had first been attracted to the stoic man but at some point his feelings had gone from jealousy to respect to pure lust and admiration for the noble. The red head could even feel himself starting to harden in his Hakama. “Fuck” he cursed out loud. 

Byakuya had quickly gone about brewing a fresh pot of tea and shortly after carried the tray with the tea and two of his best green yunomi cups back to he lieutenants office. He had just walked through the open door when he heard Renji loudly curse and was holding his head. “Renji, is everything ok?” He watched slightly concerned when the red head jumped in surprise and fell from his chair and landed heavily on the hard wooded floor with a loud thud. The captain instantly placed the tray down on the desk and crouched down next to his subordinate. 

The tattooed man was rubbing his sore head as it had smacked against the hard wooded desk on his way down. Great now he had made a complete fool of himself in front of the one man who he admired beyond all others and he was still hard for said man. Distracted by his pounding head the lieutenant had completely failed to notice that his Captain had lowered himself on to the floor next to him and was now looking him over intently. When Renji finally opened his eyes his heart almost stopped beating when he was faced with Byakuya’s handsome face mere inches from his own. He froze in place as the noble slowly reached out. He eventually registered that the man was speaking to him.

“Renji are you unwell, do you need me to get you anything” Byakuya had been completely baffled by his subordinates strange behaviour and was unsure what was causing such a strange reaction from the red head. He looked the frozen man over and even reached out to feel that nothing was broken. Gently he placed his hand on Renji’s knee and worked his way up but his hand stopped when he felt a hard lump between the tattooed man’s thighs. That was most unexpected. 

At first the noble was unsure about what he was seeing but when he noticed that the lieutenants cheeks was turning the same color as his hair it was quite obvious that the man was highly aroused. Interesting. Byakuya leaned further forward and heard the red heads breathing increase to a light panting. “Renji is there something you are hiding from me?” The Captain spoke softly and unjudging. 

The tattooed man was sure his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. He had no idea why his Captain was doing this but he couldn’t bring out any words of protest, he couldn’t bring out any words at all. When he eventually processed what Byakuya had just said the only way he could respond was to shake his head. He really wasn’t hiding anything, the noble currently had his hand on his erection so there was nothing else for him to hide.

As they continued to look into each others eyes, Byakuya let a small smile slip onto his face. He wasn’t one for random flings but even he could admit how handsome and attractive his lieutenant was and wouldn’t be apposed to having some fun with the man. With out further hesitation the noble closed the short distance between them and claimed the red heads soft lips with his own. The Capitan quickly took advantage of Renji’s moment of surprise and deepened the kiss. The red head tasted sweeter than he imagined and Byakuya was please when his subordinate finally caught up and started to take part.

Renji had been completely thrown for a loop the moment his Captains lips had touched his own and his body instantly heated up when he felt the nobles hot tongue enter his mouth and fight again his own warm muscle. All rational thought was tossed out of the window and the red head lent forward and took ahold of Byakuya’s Captain Haori and started to return the kiss. He let out a deep moan when the hand on his arousal crept underneath his hakama and slid against his hip only to wrap around his burning flesh. 

Byakuya full on grinned when the tattooed man thrust his hips into his touch. Slowly he pulled away from the kiss and looked over the disheveled man on the floor. What a beautiful sight, Renji looked drunk, he hair had come loose of its tie and was now flowing down his back like a red waterfall. His cheeks were a light shade of pink and he was gasping for breath. God it had been so long since the noble had given in to his desires. For the first time in years he thought fuck it he was going to have what he wanted. With out saying a word the Kuchiki leader rose to his feet and strode over to where his lieutenant stored his Zanpakuto and retrieved a small vial of oil used for polishing blades. 

The Captain made his way back to the disorientated man on the floor and with little effort lifted him into his arms and carried him over to the small couch by the window. Renji was so lost in the heat of lust he easily went along with the nobles silent demands, as soon as his back hit the sofa he pulled at his own shihakusho until it finally loosened enough for him to slip out of it. The dark haired noble continued to grin and aided his subordinate in removing his clothes, it took mere minutes to have the red head completely naked and have him leaning back on the couch with spread legs. 

Byakuya placed the vial of oil on the arm of the sofa and dipped three of his long fingers into it until they were sufficiently coated. If he had been able to get the tattooed man into his bed the noble would have enjoyed taking his time but right now he needed to get inside the red head as soon as possible. With no hesitation the dark haired noble crouched down between muscled thighs. The lieutenant simply gazed at him with clouded eyes and spread his legs even further. Slowly Byakuya pressed one finger against Renji’s puckering pink hole and gently pushed it inside.

The red head hissed slightly at the intrusion but forced himself to relax. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined himself in this position and he wasn’t going to spoil it now by thinking too much. Renji gave a slight jerk of his hips to indicate he was ready for more, and more was what he got as a second finger entered him. He felt a slight burn but was suddenly seeing stars as Byakuya twisted his slim digits against his inner walls and pressed against that little bundle of nerves that sent fire up his spine. 

Lost in the intense pleasure he failed to notice that the noble had added a third finger until he them stretching the muscles of his opening. For several long minutes the Capitan continued to prepare his subordinate until Renji couldn’t wait any longer as spoke for the first time since this whole thing started. “C…Captain…Please I’m ready…”

The dark haired noble gave one final stretch of his fingers before he removed them. Quickly he stood and slipped off his Capitan’s robe and removed his scarf before he slipped down his own hakama and released his own hard erection. He smiled when he saw Renji’s dark brown eyes widen and proceeded to gather more oil from the vial and slicked up his thick cock. Once he deemed himself thoroughly coated Byakuya grabbed a hold of the red heads ankles and placed them on his shoulders. 

Carefully he lined himself up with the tattooed man’s prepared entrance and looked him in the eyes. “Are you ready Renji?” The only response he got was a quick not of the head and Byakuya snapped his hips forward forcing his hard length inside the red head. Fuck he was so tight. The noble had closed his eyes as heard Renji’s loud gasp and continued to push forward until his hips met the back of the lieutenants thighs and remained motionless allowing his subordinate a moment to adjust to his girth.

FUCK was the only thought resonating in the red heads skull. Byakuya was fucking big. He was surprised he hadn’t torn with how huge the thing pulsing inside him was. He didn’t know how long he was waiting for the noble to move but it must have been a good few minutes. Eventually Renji ran out of patience and growled out “Move… please, Bya…”. By the time the last word left his lips he felt Byakuya slide back slightly before slamming his slim hips forward. The red head couldn’t hold back the cry of pleasure as his prostrated was hit straight and lightning shot up his spine.

The Captain instantly lost his composure as he was engulfed by Renji’s heat. Byakuya had fucked a few people since his wife’s death, both women and men, but non had felt as warm and tight as his lieutenant. He lent forward with on hand on the back of the sofa for stability and the other had a tight grip on the red head knee, practically bending his subordinate in half. He pushed Renji’s leg to his tattooed chest and snapped his hips hard pulling another low cry from kiss reddened lips as he drove his hard dick impossibly deep. 

The red head quivered as once again that spot inside him was struck like a drum. Renji had to reach up and wrap his arms around his Captains muscular shoulders and tightly gripped his Shihakusho. He was gasping for breath as Byakuya set a slow yet brutally hard pace that he was sure would leave his inner walls bruised. Each thrust sent fire through his veins and his insides clenched around the nobles thick cock. It didn’t take long for the poor red head to completely loose his mind as his brown eyes rolled back into his skull and he was left a moaning withering mess.

Byakuya loved this amazing feeling, each time he rammed his hips forward into that velvet warmth he felt the electricity in his veins draw him closer to completion. Renji was clinging to him for dear life and the sounds he was making kept pushing the Captain to move faster. The noble tightened his own grip on the sofa and changed his angle slightly that allowed him to bury himself as deep as possible inside the red head as he increased speed. The hand he had on the lieutenants knee shifted to grip Renji’s own neglected member and he moved it in time with his thrusts. It only took a couple of jerks and the tattooed man came with a loud cry of pleasure. Byakuya leaned over and swallowed the low sound into his own mouth and used all his strength to chase his own orgasm. 

Renji was loosing conscious from his orgasmic high when the noble started assaulting his insides with long powerful thrusts. He blacked out as he felt Byakuya’s hips shudder and with one last strong thrust inside before the dark haired Captain was coming inside him. The last thing he felt was a rush of warmth as seed filled him as his mind finally shut down. 

Byakuya caught himself before he collapsed on top of Renji and managed to rolled himself to the side after carefully slipping out of the passed out red head. The noble perched himself on the arm of the sofa and gazed over the unconscious lieutenant. Renji was slumped against the back of the sofa still gasping for breath, his skin covered in a glistening sheen of sweat and his hair was damp and surrounded his head like fiery halo. Byakuya couldn’t keep the smirk off his face as he felt a boost to his ego, he had fucked his fierce and strong lieutenant into unconsciousness. 

Once he finally caught his breath the Captain cleaned himself and straightened his clothing before turning his attention to the now sleeping red head who was still slightly panting. Byakuya went about cleaning his subordinate as best as he could and redressed him with little difficulty. He then maneuvered the unconscious red head so that he was stretched out on the sofa and retrieved a woven blanket that Renji obviously kept for when he was taking naps in his office. Once he covered the lieutenant Byakuya sat himself at Renji’s side of the desk and went about finishing the last of the paper work before he headed back to the Kuchiku Manor. 

**********

Renji remembered that when he had finally awoken the following morning alone in his office he had been extremely sore but he hadn’t been given any time to dwell on the encounter. He had been grateful that his Capitan had aided him with the final bit of paper work so that he didn’t have to face the Head Captain with out his completed assignment. It had only been a few hours later that he had been shipped out to the World of the Living without even getting the chance to see Byakuya before he left. Afterwards he had decided not to dwell on what the night with the noble meant and just counted himself lucky that it even happened at all. 

And now here he was discovering that what was meant to be a meaningless encounter between Captain and lieutenant had resulted in the creation of a new life. Renji flopped back against the examination bed and covered his eyes with his right hand and subconsciously placed his left over his still flat stomach. What the hell was he supposed to do now?! Does he tell Byakuya? Can he still be a soul reaper? How long would he be pregnant for? Where was he going to go when it was born? The red head was brought out of his panicking questioning when he hear the meek voice of the healer who sounded extremely worried.

“Lieutenant Abarai! Please remain calm… I know it’s a lot to take in but there are ways to fix it”  
Hanataro was obviously panicking himself but his words instantly made Renji’s heart clench.

The red head removed the hand covering his eyes and lifted his head to look at the first seat with burning bark brown eyes. “What do you mean Hana?! What do you mean by fix it!”

Hanataro jumped at the intense look the Squad 6 lieutenant was giving him and stuttered out. “Im… sorry sir… I just… wanted you to know… you don’t have to keep it if you don’t want to…” He saw the way Renji tensed and looked as though he was ready to kill making the 7th seat immediately try to cover himself. “It is your choice lieutenant! You don’t have to do anything you don’t want too!” 

Renji continued to glare at the shorter man but calmed a bit. He soon realized that his mind had made its decision, he was keeping this child no matter what he would have to sacrifice. The red head sighed as flung his legs off the bed and rose to his feet. He quickly redressed himself and turned to the healer. “Thank you for your help Hanataro but I have to ask you not to inform anyone about this. I am making that an order” He watched as the shorter man bowed then walked out of the 4th Squad barracks.

As he was slowly making his way back to the 6th Squad dorms Renji tried to think of what he should do next. He knew he couldn’t ask anymore of the Hana as he could risk someone higher up discovering his secret, and on that though there was no one in the Soul Society who he could talk to. Rukia was Byakuya’s sister and would no doubt ask too many questions, Ikakku would just think it was a joke and tell everyone in the 11th and well that was about it for who he trusted enough with anything personal. 

He really felt the need to speak with someone, when he continued to think the perfect person finally popped into his head. Ichigo. He knew the teen was focused on going to Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime but surely he could spare a couple of hours to listen to his friend. With his mind made up all that was left to do was to sneak to the Living World.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been ages since I wrote smut so I hope it was ok. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, please let me know your thoughts.
> 
> RRL


	7. Chapter 7

Ichigo’s heart was in his stomach as he listened to Renji finish his story. The poor red head had dealt with such a life changing thing surprisingly well but he had so many challenges ahead. And his stupid orange ass had gone and royally fuck one of his best friends head up by attacking him. The teen looked at his friend who was still staring down at the table and slowly rose from his seat, he cautiously approached the nervous red head and crouched down next to him. “Renji, I am so sorry that I hurt you. I can only try to make it up to you, I’m gonna help you through this as best as I can Ren”   
The lieutenant looked up at his friend and was extremely surprised by Ichigo’s apparent acceptance of his situation. He knew that the teen had enough on his plate with a pregnant arrancar that was currently napping in his bedroom. Not only did Ichigo have to deal with the blunette he also was worried about Orihime who was suffering who knows what at the hands of Aizen himself. But some how Ichigo had not only accepted that he too was pregnant but was also offering to support him. Renji continued to stare at the teen for a moment before he finally found the courage to speak. “Thank you Ichigo” 

The orange haired teen just smiled at his friend and stood back up to his full height. “You don’t need to thank me Renji, I’m your friend it’s the least I can do. Let’s finish of the gyudon I’m sure Grimm is wondering where we have gone” Ichigo patted the red head on the shoulder lightly and walked back into the kitchen. He heard the chair scrape against the floor and Renji move as he followed him. Between the two soul reapers they quickly finished cooking the beef and rice, Ichigo plated up three even portions in to Yuzu’s favorite bowls. He grabbed a few bottles of water and a can of cola for himself and gestured to his friend to grab a bowl and follow him. 

Both soul reapers walked up the stairs, Ichigo carried his own and Grimm’s food while Renji carried his own and several drinks. They made it to the bedroom and the teen peered in first and chuckled when he spotted the blunette curled up in blanket lightly snoring. Silently he placed the bowls of food on his desk and sat down on the bed. “Grimm, wake up. I’ve got some food for you” Turning his glance to the red head he saw that Ren was also smiling. “Grimmjow. Come on wake up” This time he gently placed his hand on what he hoped was the arrancar’s shoulder but realized it was a leg when the former Sexta groaned as he stretched out his long limbs. 

The sleepy feline yawned as he slowly woke to reality. He opened one eye and was greeted by a familiar flash of orange that instantly made him feel at ease. As he stretched out again and yawned he was suddenly made aware of a heavenly scent in the room that brought him to full alertness in seconds. “W…what is that smell?” He asked enthusiastically as he sat up and looked around the bedroom. The felines eyes finally spotted a bowl full that was the source of the scent and he felt his mouth starting to water.

Ichigo couldn’t help but chuckle at the Betas wide eyes as he spotted the food. “Its gyudon, fried beef and rice. Want to try some?” He was answered by overly exaggerated nod and picked up the nearest bowl of food. A quick thought came to mind and he turned to the red head who was still stood by the door. “Ren why don’t you sit at my desk, beats standing” He saw that the soul reaper was a little nervous but gave a little sound of acknowledgement and walked to the desk and sat himself down placing his own bowl of food and the drinks on it. 

The teen smiled and turned back to his Beta who was staring longingly at the bowl of gyudon in his hand. Ichigo pulled out a pair of chop sticks that he had carried up in his pocket and placed them in the bowl before holding it out to the blunette. “Here, it’s still hot so take your time”. 

Grimmjow carefully took the bowl and pulled it to his chest. He stared at the strange looking food for a moment and wondered what the sticks were for, in Las notches all the arrancar ate with there fingers. Slowly he positioned the bowl so that it was sat in his left hand and reached into it and pinched a piece of meat that was slippery and covered in some sort of liquid. Once he was sure he had a good grip on it the blunette lifted it to his open mouth and placed it on his tongue. In an instant his mouth was a light with an amazing flavor and he almost let out a moan of pleasure as the soft meat practically melted against his tongue. 

Ichigo grinned at the arrancar reaction and picked up his own bowl of food and began to eat. With a subtle glance he notice Renji eating as well. The tree males ate in almost silence, since Grimmjow was slurping and purring as he ate making a mess of himself. Ichigo was the first to finish his food and placed his now empty bowl on the desk and picked up his can of cola. He pulled the tap and the can opened with the classic fizz, he took a sip and enjoyed the feeling of the bubbles tickling his tongue. When he pulled the can away from his lips he noticed that both Renji and Grimmjow had stopped eating and were now looking at him. “What?” The teen asked confused.

Renji was the first to ask. “What is that? I’ve never seen one of those before and it makes a funny sound?” 

The teen scrunched his brow for a moment and burst out laughing. “It’s called cola Ren, it’s a type of fizzy pop. It tastes really good, want to try some?” He held out the can to his red headed friend who looked at the mental can slightly suspicious but took it anyway. Both Ichigo and Grimm watched, one in amusement and the other in curiosity, as Renji slowly raised the opening of the can too his lips and took a small sip. 

The red heads eyes immediately widened and he swallowed harshly then started to cough. That stuff was nasty, it tasted sour and the fizz felt really weird in his mouth. As he continued to cough Renji trusted the can back at the teen who was now doubled over laughing. When the tattooed man finally got himself under control he snarled at his friend and snapped. “It’s not fucking funny Ichigo! That stuff is gross. Its even worse that coffee!” That statement seemed to make the teen even more hysterical as he almost crushed the can in his hand and laughed even louder. Renji felt his cheeks starting to redden as he felt embarrassed. 

Grimmjow had just watched the altercation between the soul reapers with confusion that had quickly turned into amusement when the red head had almost choked on Ichigo’s drink. Now that the Alpha was laughing so hard the feline couldn’t help but let out his own little chuckle, god it had been so long since he had laughed. The poor red head had turned the same color of his hair and it made Grimm feel a little sorry for him. Seemingly out of nowhere he found a small amount of confidence and finally spoke. “Ichigo stop being mean to red, its not his fault he finds that stuff nasty” 

The orange haired teen instantly stopped laughing and looked at the Beta in surprise, that was the most he had sounded like his old self since he had been here. Ichigo stared at Grimmjow for a moment then smiled. “Sorry, Ren. I didn’t mean to make you feel embarrassed” Keeping his gaze fixated on the blunette he heard a huff of acknowledgement come from the red head behind him. He continued to smile and held out the can in Grimm’s direction. “Do you want some Grimm?”

The feline was a little tempted but by reds reaction of the drink he didn’t want to risk ruing the taste of the amazing food that he could taste on his lips. Grimmjow politely shook his head and held out his now empty bowl at the teen. “Thank you for the food Ichi” He would admit he could polish off ten more bowls of that stuff but he didn’t want to take advantage of Ichigo’s generosity. The teen took his bowl and stacked it on top of the other empty ones. The teen then rose from the bed and picked up the empty dishes. 

“I’m gonna take these downstairs, do either of you two want anything” Ichigo asked. As expected both pregnant male shook their heads. The teen noticed that Renji was looking at him nervously, his friend was obviously anxious about being left alone with Grimm. Ichigo was also a little on edge with leaving these two alone together but he knew it would do them both good to get used to other. In all honesty Grimmjow was more at ease around Renji that he expected him to be, maybe he could help the red head relax a bit. “I will be back shortly” He then strolled out of the door and headed down stairs before he could change his mind.

Renji watched as his friend left the room, as soon as the teen was no longer visible he felt his stomach tighten. He knew he had nothing to worry about and Ichigo was only a short distance away but he still felt on edge being left alone with an Espada, even a pregnant one. Eventually he felt the burn in the back of his head that indicated that he was being stared at and slowly turned to face the source of his anxiety. Grimmjow was sat up on the bed with a red blanket surrounding his waist but his exposed upper body was naked. As Renji got a better look he noticed a large scar that ran all the way down the arrancar chest along with a scattering of smaller ones that’s were randomly dotted all over the blunettes exposed body. 

As he moved his gaze lower he realized that the Sexta was missing his signature hollow hole that he had heard went right through the man’s stomach. There it was where there should be a hole, Renji finally spotted a slight curve to lowest part of Grimmjow’s middle. As he was lost in his examination of the other man he was startled when the blunette finally spoke in a slightly shaky voice. “So… red your expecting a cub too huh?”

Renji stared at the arrancar blankly for a second before he answered. “erm… yea” He really had no idea what else’s to say. Both males remained silent for a few moments before the red head asked a question of his own. “And your having a cubs, does that mean your having more than one?”

The blunette instantly replied “Yea, I’m a feline type hollow so it’s common for us to have a litter of at least two or three, I’m just hoping it’s not more” For some strange reason Grimmjow felt at ease around this soul reaper, but Renji seemed all tense and on edge around him. The feline knew that his own instincts saw the red head as a Beta that his Alpha had brought into their pack yet he didn’t like the scent of anxiety that was coming of the other man. “Red. Why are you nervous around me?”

The red head was instantly taken aback by the bold question from the arrancar. He had to take a moment to think how to answer, he was nervous for several reasons. One was he was weak at the moment and didn’t have Zabimaru. The other one that he didn’t want to admit was that he was still slightly scared of Ichigo. After their initial encounter outside, Renji was worried that he would do something that would anger the teen and end up on the wrong side of his anger again. “I… erm… sorry. Its just, I’ve never been around an arrancar or hollow that wasn’t trying to kill me” 

Grimmjow tilted his head as he took in the red heads words then smiled sadly. “I get it red. I won’t lie, when you first turned up I was terrified that you were gonna kill me” Being honest with the soul reaper felt strange yet it was relieving at the same time. He put his own feelings of security around the red head down to his instincts but there was something else, some form of connection had been made between himself and the soul reaper. He didn’t know what it meant yet and it was obvious he was the only one who felt it. “Red, I can’t say every thing is fine but I can say I’m not gonna do anything to hurt you or your cub. When I look at you I see a Beta, like me, and in Hueco Mundo pregnant Betas like us don’t hurt each other, they help each other”

Renji yet again didn’t know how to reply but he was hit by a sudden wave of relief and something he couldn’t quite place. He didn’t understand what the blunette meant by Beta but it almost sounded like Grimmjow was saying he saw the soul reaper as a friend. He felt like a stray dog being pulled into a pack and it sent a warmth through his chest. “I don’t know what a Beta is but I like the sound of helping each other”. The red head rose from his seat on Ichigo’s desk and moved to the bed, he was still feeling a little cautious but slowly sat himself down a few feet away from the blunette. Grimmjow was simply watching him looking fairly relaxed and after a moment of silence the feline arrancar shimmied closer to him. 

The lieutenant remained still as the Grimm moved closer to him, it was when the feline was only inches away he heard a low purring sound. The effects of the purring was instant, Renji felt every muscle in his body melt as he was overwhelmed by a wave of warmth. As his body turned to jelly he flopped sideways and straight against the shorter man’s chest and was immediately embraced. He subconsciously rested his head against the blunette shoulder and let himself completely relax. 

Grimm had only intended to try and put the red head at ease. He had wanted the soul reaper to feel like he was a part of their pack, but when the man had fallen against his chest as a result of his own purr the blunette felt the connection snap in to place. From this act alone the red head was accepting him as a pack mate. Grimmjow wrapped his arms around Renji and pulled him closer to his chest, he continued to purr and in only a matter of minutes felt the tattooed man fall asleep. Something about feeling the added warmth of a fellow Beta had the feline once again feeling exhausted and he slowly slipped both himself and his new pack mate sideways until they were lay on the bed. He adjusted the blanket so that it covered them both and cuddled closer to the red heads side and followed him into sleep.

Once he had carried the dirty dishes down the stairs, Ichigo dumped them straight into the sink and contemplated what he should do next. Every fiber of his being told him to go back to his Beta and ensure his safety but he knew that both Grimmjow and Renji needed time to get used to each other without him hanging around. He busied himself with cleaning the bowls then placing them back in the cupboard, he then grabbed another can of cola from the fridge and walked into the living room. The teen sat himself down on the sofa and opened his drink. 

This was the first time in a long while since he had a moment alone with out having someone on his case. He finally had time to process the events of the last 24 hours that had thrown his life in to complete chaos. It had been bad enough when his main concern had been getting to Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime from Aizen. Now he had a pregnant arrancar in his room who had been tortured and impregnated by Aizen forcing them to ‘mate’, and then there was Renji. His closest friend next to Rukia had unexpectedly turned up also pregnant. He didn’t know if it was some sort of strange coincidence or if it was some sick god who found it entertaining to mess with people’s lives but he knew he had no choice but to stay strong, too many people were relying on him. 

As he was dwelling on what to do next he felt a sudden tug on his body. What the hell was that. After a long moment nothing happening, Ichigo sighed and took a long gulp of his drink enjoying the cold liquid as it ran down his throat. Just as he placed the can back on the coffee table he felt the tug again only this time stronger. His brown eyes widened as he watched black smoke erupt from his own body and began to form the familiar sight of his hollow.

In a matter of minutes Shiro stood before him exactly as he did inside his inner world, the teen instantly rose to his feet and reached for his soul badge. Shit he had left it upstairs. Ichigo glared at the albino copy of himself and snarled. “How the hell are you doing that?”. He took a second to take in the sight of the hollow version of himself. Shiro was stood directly facing him but something seemed strange about him, the usual sadistic grin that usually crossed his face was replaced by a thin line and Ichigo would almost swear he looked concerned.

This had been the last thing Shiro had wanted to reveal to his King but as he was listening to Ichigo’s thoughts he began to worry that the teen was going to break. He had planned to keep this trick a secret but right now his king needed to know he wasn’t alone and that he had someone to share this burden. The hollow slowly moved closer to the chair that the teens old man loved and sat himself down, hoping that it would help calm the orange haired soul reaper. Ichigo looked confused but didn’t move from where he was stood. Shiro took in a deep breath and finally spoke, his voice just as echoey as normal. “ **I’m not gonna hurt ya King, I’ve been able to materialize myself for a little while now. I wasn’t planning on showing you this but I was getting sick of all that rain going on inside ya head”**

Ichigo stared in a mixture of horror and curiosity. Shiro had materialize himself for a while and he had no idea. Why the hell had he decided that now was a good time to show his little trick? Surely he was up to something. “So your telling me you are able to materialize a body? What is it an illusion or am I just seeing things?”

Shiro sighed, trust Ichigo to think was just some magic trick. “ **It’s not an illusion and your not seeing things King. When you were training with the Vizards I learned how to extract my soul from yours. It’s a long ass story but I’m just as real as you. Now as I said I’m not here to hurt ya or the Betas. I wanna help”** The hollow knew it would be hard for his King to believe him but right now he was the only one that understood anything about what was happening. 

The orange haired teen scrunched his brow and strode over to stand in front of the albino, he reached out with his right hand and toughed his copy’s shoulder. Shit he could feel him, he was real. Fuck. “What do you mean you want to help?! All you ever do is try to make my life hell!”

A loud groan left Shiro’s pale lips and he rested his elbows on his knees then flopped forward. “ **Look King, I know I ain’t been ya best friend but I’ve never done anything that didn’t make ya stronger. That’s been my job, too make you strong enough to fight any enemy. But right now we got other things to worry about, we got to Betas to protect and you still need to save your little friend** ”. The albino snapped. He really didn’t have the patience to deal with one of Ichigo’s hissy fits. 

Ichigo was taken aback by his hollows sudden out burst, when he actually thought about it Shiro was right. All the times he had threatened to take over his body had only made him push himself to get stronger. So if it had been his pale copy’s job to make him stronger then did that mean his perception of the hollow had been all wrong. “So your telling me all you have done was to make me stronger?” Shiro looked up at him and nodded. “Let’s say I believe you, what do plan on doing now? How are you planning on helping me?”

Shiro looked at his King and didn’t hesitate to answer. “ **Your my King Ichigo, you’re the reason I exist. We have two pregnant Beta’s upstairs that need protecting as they are only going to get weaker. It’s gonna be hard for you to do that on your own so I’m gonna do my job as your partner and protect our pack** ” 

The soul reaper instantly felt torn by his hollows words. He had never heard Shiro sound so serious and what he had just said made Ichigo feel a sense of relief. He still wasn’t sure if he could trust the hollow but he hadn’t heard or seen anything that made him feel like Shiro was lying to him. One thing that was confusing him though was why the albino was referring to both Grimm and Renji as Betas and what did he mean by pack? “Ok I think I’m starting to believe you. There’s a few things I want to know before I put my faith in you. When your separated from me can I still use my mask? Also why do you keep calling Renji a Beta and what do you mean by a pack?”

The albino straightened himself up and looked his king straight in the eyes. He had been expecting this. He knew Ichigo had no idea on how Hollows hierarchy worked and neither did the soul reapers. “ **Your power is exactly the same with out me in your head as it is when I’m there. Our powers are no weaker when we are separated. As for your other questions basically Hollows tend to form pack mixed of both Alphas and Betas, the red head is practically a pregnant Beta** ” Shiro tried to word his explanation a simply as possible. 

Ichigo processed what he had just learned, he was happy to know that with out Shiro in his head he still was at full power, if anything his power would increase if he had the Hollow at his side. As for the other bit it seem hollows were more complicated than what he had originally perceived, he had just thought of them as hunger driven beasts that only existed to devour souls. He wanted to learn more but right now he had to focus on the how he was going to help his own Beta and his friend. “Shiro, I will be honest, I’m still unsure about you being able to get out of my head but your right. I’ve go a lot to deal with and your help would make everything a little easier. For now can you go back in, I promise to try and not let it rain in there” 

Shiro stood from his chair and gave his classic grin. **“I’m glad your seeing things my way King. I’ll go for now but if ya need me I’ll be here”** With that said he rose a white hand and grasped ahold of Ichigo’s shoulder, in an instant he disappeared in a flash of black smoke. When he opened his eyes he was back inside the sideways world but was happy to see that it had stopped raining. He turned and spotted the old man and frowned. “ **I don’t need you to give me that look Zan, I couldn’t just let King pull himself apart** ” 

Zangetsu just looks at him through his dark glasses and then gives him a sly smile. “ _I’m proud of you Shiro, You have proven yourself worthy of being Ichigo’s partner”_. Shiro just roles his eyes and decides he is going to take a nap. 

Ichigo stared in amazement at the spot where Shiro had been stood then had miraculous disappeared. He wasn’t sure if he get used to his hollow doing that but for now he had to trust that the albino meant everything his said. Taking in a deep breath the teen turned and picked up his forgotten drink. In a few mouthfuls he drained the can and sighed. Now to make sure that the Beta’s, as Shiro had referred to them as, hadn’t killed each other.

The teen placed the now empty can in the bin in the kitchen before turning to make his way up the stairs. Once he reached the top, he slowed his steps and crept to the slightly open bedroom door and listened. When he didn’t hear anything he felt a slight pang of anxiety and carefully pushed the door open. The sight that greeted him made his heart swell with pride, there lay slightly awkwardly on his bed were the two pregnant men cuddled together fast asleep. 

Renji had his knees pulled up to his chest and was lay almost in the fetal position, Grimmjow was facing him and had wrapped his whole body around the red head. The feline had his arms protectively resting over both his own and the tattooed man’s middles. Ichigo smiled and couldn’t help but think the sight in front of him was one of the cutest things he had seen. He took a quick glance to his desk and noticed that it was now 10.23pm. Damn he hadn’t noticed it had gone dark.

The teen suddenly felt the need to join the cuddle pile and noticed that there was just enough room behind Grimm’s back for him to squeeze in to. Ichigo stripped of his shirt and jeans and quietly pulled on a pair of gray slacks that had been slung in the corner of his room. Carefully he climbed on the head of the bed and shimmied so that his chest was pressed against Grimmjow’s back. The blunette groaned slightly but didn’t wake. The orange haired teen smiled and wrapped his left arm around the arrancar and ended up resting his hand on Renji’s thigh. It only took him a few moments after closing his brown eyes to drift off to sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter is finally posted.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed the interaction between Grimm and Ren. And Shiro finally revealing himself to Ichigo.
> 
> Please let me know what your thoughts on this are. If you spot any grammer or spelling mistakes please let me know as I don't have a Beta to correct my work. I will also admit I'm starting to struggle a little and I feel my writing could be a lot better. 
> 
> RRL x


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone. Sorry I'm a little late with the next chapter.

A ray sun light peaked though the curtains and straight into Grimmjow’s closed eyes. The sleeping feline groaned and turned his head from the light, instantly feeling something warm against his cheek. The blunette opened one eye, instantly seeing a bright flash of orange hair. He let out a low purr as he remembered falling asleep cuddled up to the red head but at some point his Alpha must have joined them. He let his entire body relax back against Ichigo’s strong chest, he couldn’t remember the last time he felt so content. 

When he thought about the circumstances that led up to this a shiver ran down his spine. His time as Aizen’s toy almost completely broke him. Before being an experiment Grimm had actually enjoyed being an Espada, it was his nature to fight and kill after all. He had thought himself a king since that day hundreds of years ago when he met Shawlong and the others, the time he spent roaming with his pack had been the best for him as an Adjuchas.

  
But then he had met Aizen, the soul reaper had promised him power and the chance to fight stronger beings. The Panther had snapped up the chance and agreed to follow the traitor. Not long after he and his pack had been evolved into arrancar and he had been given the status as Sexta Espada. At first he had followed all of Aizen’s orders with out question, feeling as though the Espada and other arrancar were just a bigger and stronger pack. But he had soon come to realized that Las Noches was the furthest thing from a pack as possible, each Arrancar was out for them selves and their own smaller packs. He followed suite kept to himself and his own. 

That day when Ulquiorra had returned from the Living World with information on the soul reaper that had Aizen’s attention he found himself drawn to the orange haired teen. Grimmjow couldn’t control himself and just had to go to see this man for himself. That first encounter had been on of the best and worst days of his life, the battle between Ichigo and himself had felt more like a battle for dominance than a fight to the death, he hadn’t known it at the time but his inner Beta was testing to see if the teen was a worthy Alpha. But then he learned that his entire pack had been killed and shortly after he was demoted from Espada and was replaced by that little weakling Luppi. After that he had spent weeks in his rooms wallowing in the pain of loss and anger. No matter how hard he had tried the only thing he could think about was that soul reaper with the infuriating brown eyes that he would swear were mocking him. 

And then it happened, he just had to sneak to the Living World to see the soul reaper again. The fight between them had been intense and he had even felt his instincts screaming at him that Ichigo was a worthy Alpha. But before he had chance to act on his instincts, Ulquiorra had appeared and dragged him back to Las Noches. What followed was sheer hell but what still bothered him was how he had come to escape. The last thing he had remembered was seeing a dark shadow of a cloaked figure that he didn’t recognize before being injected in the neck, he had passed out merely seconds later and had awoken on the floor of this very room. He couldn’t help but wonder who it was that had saved him from that hell. 

While Grimmjow had been lost in though he failed to notice that the teen lay behind him had awoken. Ichigo had stirred awake when he felt a wave of anxiety come from his Beta, he opened his eyes and noticed that the blunette was staring blankly at the ceiling. At first the teen had tightened his grip on the feline but when he didn’t get a response he nuzzled Grimm’s cheek with his nose and softly whispered. “Grimm, you ok?” 

The feline tensed for a second as he was startled from his thoughts, he then instantly relaxed at the sound of his Alpha’s deep voice whispering in his ear. “I’m fine, I was just thinking” He whispered in response and turned slightly to rub his cheek against Ichigo’s. It was in this moment that he realized the change in the teen. The human was treating him exactly as an Alpha did their mate, maybe the teen hadn’t noticed but he was acting like he was Grimmjow’s mate. Is that what Ichigo wanted? He certainly didn’t oppose the idea. The blunette swallowed down a ball of nerves and asked the question quietly. “Erm, Ichigo… I need to ask. Are we gonna be mates?”

Ichigo’s eyes widened at the question and felt himself start to panic. What the hell did he say to that? Not knowing what else to do the teen turned his thoughts inward. ‘ _Shiro Help! What do I do?_ ’. It took far to long for his hollow half to reply, he was just about to jump into his sideways world when he heard the familiar echo of the albinos voice.

‘ **Calming down is the first thing ya need to do King. Now all ya need to ask ya self, do you wanna be the kitty’s mate? He’s already carrying your young but you haven’t claimed him yet'** Shiro knew this was a sensitive matter but in all honesty it would be best for both his King and the kitty if they officially mated. It would create a bond between the two of them that would connect them in both body and soul.

‘ _What? What do you mean by claim him?!_ ” Ichigo felt his stomach knot as he dreaded discovering that it meant exactly like it sounded.

Shiro sighed. ‘ **It’s as it sounds King, if ya wanna mate with him you need to claim him. You need to have sex with him and bite him, it creates a bond between the Alpha and the Beta by mixing their reiatsu and a portion of their souls’** He paused for a moment to be sure his King wasn’t about to hyperventilate then continued. **‘If its any consolation King, the bond can only occur when both Alpha and Beta consent. If kitty didn’t want to mate with you I don’t think he would have asked** ’

Ichigo felt a little better at hearing that but he was still unsure. If he was honest with himself, he defiantly wanted to mate with Grimmjow. He had been fascinated by the blunette since the moment he met him and had often found himself thinking about the feline and not in an innocent way. He finally paid attention to the feline still pressed against his chest and realized that Grimm was looking away and was giving of wave of nervous energy. He gathered it was due to the fact he had taken so long to answer the blunette question. 

The teen took in a deep breath and gently slipped his hand down Grimm arm until he linked their fingers over the still sleeping red heads. He then whispered “Sorry about that, I just had to think for a moment. Grimm I would like to mate with you but only if that is what you want. You have been through so much and I don’t want you to do anything that might regret”

Grimmjow had felt the teen tense when he had asked the question and had instantly felt like he had upset the Alpha. When Ichigo failed to say anything the blunette had looked over his shoulder and noticed a familiar blank look on the soul reapers face. He had seen that look before and it was almost like Ichigo was no longer in his body. When he felt the reassuring touch along his arm and when the Alpha finally spoke the feline instantly felt his heart beat rapidly. Ichigo did want to mate him but only if he wanted to. He immediately knew his answer. “I wouldn’t regret mating with you Ichigo, you’re the strongest and kindest Alpha I have met” 

Ichigo’s lips pulled into a face splitting smile and let go of Grimmjow’s hand only to gently place his finger tips on the blunette strong jaw and turn his head. He leaned forward closing his eyes and lightly placed his lips against the felines soft ones. The kiss was slow and gentle, The teen pulled away a few moments later and as he opened his eyes he was met with Renji’s wide dark brow eyes staring at him. The red heads cheeks were the same color as his hair and he looked as though he was ready to bolt from the room. The teen chuckled and spoke “Good morning Renji, sorry you had to wake up to that”

Grimmjow’s own blue eyes snapped open and saw that the red head was deeply blushing and had tensed in his hold. The blunette let out his own laugh and added “Sorry red, didn’t realized you had woken up” 

The red head had just started to stir when he heard whispering coming from the two males that shared the bed. When he heard Ichigo admit he wanted to mate with the arrancar Renji’s heart beat increase and then Grimmjow had to answer that he was happy too mate. Finally he had opened his eyes and saw the two sharing an intimate kiss and he instantly felt like he was intruding on their privacy. “I… I can leave if you both want me too”

The feline tightened his grip and was the first to respond to the nervous soul reaper. “Your not going anywhere red. You’re a part of our pack and me and Ichi have some things to work out before we mate” 

Renji continued to blush and was lost for words. He didn’t understand how Grimmjow could be so accepting of him, they barely knew each other and all that they had in common was that they were both pregnant. Just as he opened his mouth to respond to the arrancar he suddenly felt a familiar reiatsu approaching the house. He sat himself up and checked to make sure he was right on who was nearing, he instantly confirmed it and spoke up. “Urahara is coming” 

Ichigo sat up as well and also picked up on the shop keepers presence approaching. Shit. He jumped up from the bed and hunted for his shirt, once he found a pink one that his dad had bought him he scowled and pulled it over his head. He turned back to the bed and noticed that the Betas had changed positions, Renji was now wrapped around Grimmjow who was giving off waves of fear. “Both of you stay here I’m gonna see hat and clogs, hopefully I can get him to leave. Don’t worry Grimm, me and Renji won’t let anything happen to you” He saw the red head tighten his hold on the feline and gave him a nod. 

The teen ran from the bed room, down the stairs and headed to the front door of the clinic. He could feel that the shop keeper was close now and wondered if he should wait until Kisuke came to the door or if he should go and meet the blond before he got here. The decision was made for him when he heard a light knock on the front door. Ichigo took in a deep breath and checked that his badge was in his pocket before unlocked the door and took a firm grasp on the handle twisting it open. 

As the door opened it revealed Urahara standing in his usual attire but had a firm grip on his cane that held his Zanpakuto Benihime. Ichigo tried to give an irritated look but was sure he just looked constipated. “Oh it’s you Kisuke, what are you doing here?” 

Urahara looked him over with a skeptic eye and had a frown on his lip. “You didn’t come to the shop yesterday, I was just coming to check you were ok and to let you know the Garganta will be ready in three days” The shop keeper lent side way’s in an attempt to peer inside the teens home. “Alright, Ichigo what’s going on? I know Renji is here and someone else…wait that’s an arrancar?” The blond lifted his head and glared at the orange haired teen from under his hat.

Ichigo instantly tensed and gripped the soul badge in his pocket, ready to fight should he need to. He stared at the shop keeper for a long moment and noticed that the man was obviously trying to place the foreign reiatsu he sensed. He quickly debated his next possible moves, he could come clean and tell the blond the truth or he could lie and hope the intelligent man would believe him. In all honesty he had no reason not to trust the man who had helped him since this crazy life of a soul reaper began. ‘Ya sure you wanna do this King, I know the hat head has helped ya in the past but do you think he will understand that you’re datin a Hollow?’ Shiro voiced his concern. 

‘I don’t have much choice Shi. If I don’t tell him myself he’s just gonna find out later and I don’t wanna know what a pissed of hat and clogs looks like’ Ichigo responded. He heard the albino huff inside his head but didn’t protest any further. The teen sighed and straightened himself up. “You’re gonna want to sit down for this Kisuke, I’ll tell you but before I let you in you need to promise too hear the full story before you make any decisions” 

The shop keeper cautiously nodded his head and Ichigo stepped aside to allow the man through the door. He gestured to the living room and Kisuke followed his direction, they both walked into the room and took a seat on either end of the sofa. Once he was sat the teen watched as Urahara turned his gaze to the ceiling, obviously sensing both Grimmjow and Renji’s reiatsu. “So are you going to tell me why you have an arrancar and Renji hidden away in your bedroom?”

Ichigo swallowed a lump in his throat and wished he had grabbed a drink. He took in a deep breath and began to speak. “Its Grimmjow. He’s the arrancar your sensing” He saw the look of confusion on the blonds face and clarified “Grimmjow Jeagerjaque, the Sexta Espada. Well actually he’s a former Espada”

Urahara instantly tightened his grip on Benihime and looked ready to attack. “You have an Espada former or not in your bedroom Ichigo? Why on earth would you allow this and why is Renji up there with him?” His voice was tight as it seemed he was forcing himself not to shout. 

The teen couldn’t think of a better way to explain it so he just blurted out the truth. “He’s pregnant Kisuke they both are!” His sudden outburst had the shop keeper stunned and he even let go of his Zanpakuto, Benihime fell to the floor with a loud clatter. Kisuke stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before he hid his face under his hat and finally spoke.

“Tell me everything Ichigo. I need to know what’s happened to them” The blond sounded extremely serious and it sent a shiver down Ichigo’s spine. 

The orange haired teen couldn’t stop himself, he told the former soul reaper everything. He revealed it all, Grimmjow’s appearance in his room, the torture that he had endured and how he became to bear Ichigo’s cubs, how Renji had arrived, how the red head had also revealed his own pregnancy, he even revealed the truth about Shiro. It all came out in a constant barrage that the teen couldn’t stop. When he finally finished he was gasping for breath. 

Kisuke was staring at the floor and he carefully picked up his cane. The blonde was processing everything he had just learned and the blank look on his face made Ichigo nervous. The teen wondered if he had just completely fucked everything up and was about to loose something before he even had chance to gain it. Ichigo still had a hold of his badge and would fight to protect his soon to be mate and his friend. 

“Ichigo before you release your soul form and attempt to kill me I need to say a few things. I have no intention of sharing the information you have just told me, if anything I feel for both the arrancar and Renji’s situations. If you would allow me I would like to offer my help, I may be able to gather some information on both hollow and male soul reaper pregnancy’s. Also I have to ask do you still intent to travel to Hueco Mundo to rescue Miss Orihime?” 

Kisuke’s words instantly made Ichigo relax. He slightly cursed himself for doubting the man who had always helped him. The man’s final question had him thinking intensely though. Was it possible for him to travel to Hueco Mundo to rescue his friend. He couldn’t leave her there but how was he supposed to rescue Orihime and protect both Grimmjow and Renji at the same time? “I’m sorry Kisuke. I’ve only just learnt that due to my hollow side I’m actually an Alpha, it makes me very protective of Grimm and Renji. I would really appreciate your help, any info you can find would be a big help. I want to rescue Orihime but I can’t do that and protect Grimm and Ren” 

The shop keeper hummed in thought. “I wasn’t going to inform you of this but your friends Uryuu and Chad have been training and intended to join you on your journey to Hueco Mundo. By the way are you aware of the time difference between Hueco Mundo and the Living world?”

Ichigo was about to voice his anger at the two other humans for even thinking of joining him but then he was confused by what the shop keeper meant. “Time difference? Like when you travel to another county?”

Urahara burst out in a fit of laughter and it took a few minutes for him to composed himself enough to speak. “No Ichigo, its nothing like traveling abroad. Time in Hueco Mundo travel a lot faster than here in the Living World. In the time its taken us to have this conversation, I would say at least several hours have passed in Hueco Mundo. The closest equivalency I have managed to calculate is that a day in this world is about a week there” 

The teens eyes widened, that explains it. How in only in the 8 days between the fight with Grimmjow and the blunettes arrival in his room, he had looked like he had endured weeks of torture was because he had endured weeks. Shit. Ichigo’s heart clenched at the thought of his Beta suffering at the hands of that bastard for so long. This also meant that Orihime had experienced the same amount of time there. He only had one option now, he had to go and take Grimmjow and Renji with him. Ichigo hoped that himself, Shiro, Uryuu and Chad would be enough to keep them safe. “Kisuke this time difference, how will that effect us?” 

“Hmmm well from my observations of the place I have learned that even though time passes faster there any that live there don’t age at the same rate, if anything the aging process stops. I can’t say I know what effect it would have on Grimmjow and Renji’s pregnancy’s though” The shop keeper explained and seemed disheartened by his lack of knowledge on the subject. 

Ichigo didn’t like the idea of going to Hueco Mundo unprepared but he had little choice. He needed to plan as much as possible before he made the journey. The first thing he needed to do was talk with Grimmjow and Renji and get their thoughts on the matter. He then needed to speak with Uryuu and Chad, he knew his taller friend would probably more accepting of all this than the Quincy would be but if they were joining him they needed to know the whole story as well. He only has two days to prepare as much as possible. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone 
> 
> This is going to be an doube update!! I hope you all enjoy :D

Upstairs both Grimmjow and Renji huddled together on the bed. The red head could sense that Urahara was in the just below them in the living room and hoped that Ichigo was handling the strange shop keeper. His attention was turned back to the blunette in his arms when he felt the feline shiver. He looked down and realized that the man who had seemed relaxed and confident was now reduced to a shaking ball of fear. Renji tightened his hold on the man and gently rubbed his back. What the hell had Grimmjow been through to turn him into this scared kitten? He had heard from Ichigo that he had been tortured by Aizen and ended up pregnant with the teens cubs as a result, but he still didn't know the exact details and to be honest he didn't really want to know.

"Grimm it's going to be ok. Ichigo can handle Kisuke" He felt the blunette nod against his chest but he didn't relax at all. Renji could only hold the Arrancar and hope that Ichigo returned soon.

Grimmjow hid his face against the red heads Shihakusho and was mentally cursing himself. He hated that his Beta instincts were in overdrive forcing him to become this weak quivering mess. Fucking Aizen had done this him and he wanted to kill the bastard with his own claws. He felt trapped inside his head, he was getting angrier and angrier at himself for not being able to just get up and fight. This wasn't him, he wasn't weak, he wasn't a slave to his base instincts. Move damn it. Grimmjow move your damned ass your not a fucking weakling, you're a King!

Slowly he pushed himself away from Renji's body, the red head looked at him with concern written allover his face. "I'm ok red. I just need to move" The Soul Reaper nodded and released his hold. Grimmjow forced himself to move even though every instinct was telling him not too, he had to prove to himself that he wasn't weak and that he wouldn't let Aizen win. The feline crawled from the bed and stood on unsteady leg, the blanket that had been covering his naked body was left behind. Embarrassment was a foreign concept to the Arrancar as clothes were never essential to hollows.

Grimm stretched his limbs trying to get his blood flowing and was determined to conquer his fear. He wouldn't let it get the better of him just because he was pregnant. Just as he was about to walk to the door the Renji finally piped up. "Grimmjow! You can't go out like that!". The blunette turned to face the Soul Reaper and was suddenly swallowed up by the red blanket as it was thrown over his head. He growled as he fought against the fluffy material that seemed to have a mind of its own.

Renji had been concerned when Grimmjow seemed to be having a battle with himself. When the man had said he need to move the Soul Reaper had watched as he stood from the bed and the moment he rose from the bed Renji's eyes widened. He had seen many naked men in the barracks but there was something strange about seeing Ichigo's Beta. The blunette suddenly started to make his way to the bedroom door and the red head panicked, Ichigo would loose it if his Beta walked downstairs butt naked. He shouted for the feline too stop and grabbed the first thing he could reach which happened to be the red blanket and instantly threw it over Grimm's head to cover him. He couldn't hold back a laugh as the blunette struggled under the blanket and ended up tripping up over his own feet and ended up crashing to the floor with a loud thud.

"Red you bastard what the hell are you doing!" Grimmjow cursed loudly as he heard the Soul Reaper laughing at him. He continued to fight the blanket until eventually he escaped its grip. As soon as he was free he spotted the red head sat on the end of the bed doubled over with laugher. The feline growled deep in his throat and pounced on the Soul Reaper, wrestling him back on the bed. Renji yelped in surprised of the sudden attack from the naked Arrancar who now had him pinned to the bed and was scowling down at him. Grimm felt as smirk creep across his lips, if red wanted some thing to laugh about then he would happily give it too him.

Ichigo was in the middle of discussing the journey to Hueco Mundo with Kisuke, when he heard a loud bang come from his room. His chest instantly tightened and he leapt from the sofa, leaving a bewildered shop keeper behind, and ran up the stairs. When he rushed into his bedroom he almost fell over is feet at the sight in front of him. Grimmjow was stark naked as he sat on top of Renji's chest and was relentlessly tickling the red head who was laughing loudly and squirming to get away. "W… what is going on here?" The teen questioned as he felt himself wanting to laugh.

Grimmjow sat up and stopped his assault on the red head. "This bastard attracted me with the blanket, this is pay back" He then gave Renji a final jab in the ribs before climbing off the him and the bed, he ended up standing in his full naked glory facing the Alpha smirking like a proud predator that had caught its prey.

The teen stared with wide honey brown eyes, at his naked Beta and instantly all his blood rush south. Oh shit he was getting hard. Grimmjow's classic smirk combined with his stunningly beautiful body had Ichigo's inner Alpha screaming at him to claim his mate. NONONONONONO! BAD ICHIGO! Now was not the time to be giving in to his instincts.

This was the first time he had seen Grimm acting like his old self, his lust was quickly replaced with pride. He took a second look at the Beta and noticed he was still grinning and if Renji's panting state was anything to go by the blunette hadn't held back. The teen felt a grin of his own pull at his lips and let out a loud laugh. "I think Renji has learnt his lesson Grimm". The beaming smile the blunette gave him sent Ichigo's heart beating at a rapid pace, this was the Grimmjow he remembered and admired.

Renji finally caught his breath, his ribs ached a little from laugh too hard and the brutal tickling, sat up to see that the Arrancar was stood facing Ichigo and was radiating pride. A smile crossed his lips, he had been genuinely worried when the blunette had practically been cowering in his arms, but if getting his butt handed to him in a tickle attack gave Grimm the chance to gain some confidence it was a small price to pay. He waited a few minutes but neither the teen or the Arrancar spoke, they just continued to look at each other. The red head couldn't see Grimmjow's expression but if the look on Ichigo's face was anything to go by, it was very obvious that the teen wanted to throw the blunette on the bed and have his way with the Beta. He thought now was a good time to remind them that he was still in the room. "Erm, Ichigo have you sorted things out with Urahara?"

The teen snapped to attention when he heard Renji's voice, he had been lost in Grimmjow's shear beauty. He was fighting with his inner Alpha that was telling him to claim his Beta. There was a new voice inside his head that was drowning out both Shiro and Zangetsu. The only thing keeping Ichigo from giving in was his sheer will power. He eventually processed what the red head had said and managed to force the words from his mouth. "Oh…yeah, I've told him about both of you and he's going to help. Kisuke is going to do some research to see if he can dig up any information that might help us"

Grimmjow was still preening after his Alphas praise, when the victim of his attack had spoken up from behind him he was brought out of his trance. He felt a wave of relief at knowing they weren't in danger. He still didn't know who this Kisuke Urahara person was but he had heard of him in Las Noches and he knew that even Aizen had a respectful fear of the man. If he was as powerful as he had heard then he would be a valuable ally.

The blunette took in a deep breath and his eyes widened as he instantly recognized the scent of arousal that was coming from the teen in front of him. He looked Ichigo over from head to toe and realized that the Soul Reaper was fighting his inner Alpha. Grimmjow should probably be feeling anxious or scared but he felt his own wave of arousal stir. His Beta instincts rose their head again and he felt a wave of pride that his Alpha wanted him. In his last seconds of sanity he looked over his shoulder to the red head and ground out. "Red you want to go down and talk with the guy, I think me and Ichi need some time alone"

Renji instantly got the meaning behind the blunette word and rose from the bed. "Sure, there's a few things I want to ask Kisuke anyway" He rushed from the room, shutting the door behind himself and headed down stairs.

Ichigo watched the red head leave the room and then snapped his gaze back to the naked Beta in front of him, he immediately figured out why the blunette had suggested Renji leave them alone. "Grimmjow are you sure you want to do this? I don't want you to feel like you have to do something your not ready for" He kept his voice low and serious. The Alpha in his head was now screaming louder than it had done before and he was only a threads width away from snapping.

Grimmjow let a feral grin cross his lips and slowly backed up until his knees met the bed. He kept constant eye contact with the teen, who's eyes were starting to turn from honey brown to gleaming gold, and lent back to sit on the soft mattress. The Beta carefully pushed himself back and parted his thighs invitingly. "I'm sure Ichi, I want to be your mate. Please claim me Alpha"

There was an audible snap inside the teens head as he the Alpha in head actually roared. Ichigo practically flash stepped the short distance between him and the object of his desires and claimed the blunette lips with his own. The kiss was fierce as both males battled with their tongues, the teen plundered Grimmjow's wet cavern and ran the thick muscle over ever inch inside the Betas mouth. The teen swallowed the moan of pleasure and ran his tongue along the felines shape canines, a small cut opened up and flooded both of their mouths with his rich blood.

The feline groaned at the coppery taste in his mouth and swallowed the red liquid that sent fire running through his veins. Fuck Ichi tasted amazing, he had tasted the blood of many hollows when he had been an Adjuchas but none compared to the spicy taste of his Alpha. He fought back against the teens assault on his mouth and reached up to grab the Soul Reapers shirt, damn it Ichigo had to many clothes on. Grimmjow roughly tugged at the shirt and nipped the Alphas lip.

Ichigo pulled away from the intense kiss just long enough to rid himself of his shirt and threw across the room. He took a moment to take in the sight beneath him, Grimmjow was now lay flat on his back skin glistened with a thin sheen of sweat and he was lightly panting for breath. The teen let out a pleased growl that resonated straight from his chest and leaned down to nip and suck at the side of the Betas exposed throat. He ran his hands along his soon to be mates muscled chest and ran them down slowly groping each muscle. The blunette let out a deep moan and arched his back, closing the distance between them.

The teen grinned against Grimmjow's skin and lightly sank his teeth into the solid muscle of his Betas throat and drew a pleading whine from the man beneath him. Slowly he slid his hands lower and stopped when they rested over slight swelling of the blunette stomach. He carefully reached out with a string of his own reiatsu and his eyes widened when he felt a light tug against his power, three tugs to be exact. He pulled away from Grimm neck and looked down into the teal eyes that were clouded with lust. He calmed himself slightly and smiled warmly. "I can feel them Grimm, the cubs"

It took a moment for the felines foggy mind to process his Alpha's word, as they sunk in he reached with his right hand and placed it over Ichigo's and smiled. "They will be so strong" They stared into each others eyes for a few seconds before their lips met once again, this time the kiss was tender and slow. Grimmjow melted under his Alphas touch and leaned forward slightly. He released the teens hand and wrapped his arms around the Soul Reapers board shoulders, digging his claws lightly into tanned flesh causing the man above his to let out a low growl of pleasure. He smirked against the kiss and ran his tongue against Ichigo's bottom lip, inviting him to take repossession of his mouth.

Ichigo didn't need any further prompting and delved his tongue back inside Grimmjow's moist cavern. He reposition his hands so that his right was lightly caressing the felines sharp hip and his left groped the firm pectoral muscles, occasionally running his callous thumb over a pink nipple. The blunette gasped into Ichigo's mouth and pressed his sensitive chest into the teens touch. The Alpha growled again and pulled away from the kiss only to reattach his lips to the under side of his Betas jaw. Running his tongue against the strong jaw he licked a trail up to the blunette right ear.

A curious thought popped into the orange-haired teens head and he pulled away for a moment only to place a tentative kiss to the sharp bone of Grimmjow's mask. It was colder than he had predicted and began to explore the solid mass of the mask with his lips. Ichigo heard the Beta gasp for breath and took that as a sign to continue his venture.

He kept his hands busy caressing the man's hip and chest and proceed to kiss his way along the underside of the mask, once he reached the furthest point, closest to the blunettes left ear he moved on to explore the sharp teeth. The teen furthered his exploration by licking the first tooth, Grimmjow jolted in pleasure. Ichigo hadn't expected the mask to be so sensitive and tests the Beta's reaction again by running his tongue along several teeth and gains the same reaction from the blunette. Something in the back of the teens mind told him that this was a massive show of trust as a hollows mask is a very vulnerable part, any damage to it can render a hollow powerless or possibly dead.

Grimmjow shuddered as his Alpha licked at the teeth of his mask. He hadn't know how sensitive his mask was and the light touch of the teens tongue sent a electrical pulse through the bone of his mask that went straight through his nervous system. He let out a small whimper that made Ichigo pull away from his mask and sat up just enough so that he was hovering over him. The Beta opened his teal eyes and looked up into stunning gold that had a hit of concern in them.

"Grimm you ok?" The teen softly asked. When he heard that little whimper come from his Beta he instantly feared that he had scared him.

The blunette felt a shiver run through his body at hearing his Alphas rough voice. "I'm ok, Ichi. Just sensitive" Grimmjow gave a small smile and was once again softly kissed on the cheek. The teen smiled down at him.


	10. Chapter 10

Ichigo kissed the feline again then lowered his body so that he was flush against the man below him, he rumbled his chest, brushed his lips against Grimm's ear and spoke. "If you feel like it's too much, please tell me and I will stop ok". He felt the blunette nod against his cheek and lowered his head to lightly nibbled at the Betas throat. The Beta tightened his grip on the teens shoulders and prompted him move things along.

The Alpha growled low in his throat and gave a slightly harsher bite to his Beta's neck. Ichigo was rewarded with a pleasure filled moan from the blunette. He grinned against Grimmjow's flesh and slowly slid himself lower, as he moved he nipped at the felines sensitive skin leaving behind little red marks. The teen finally reached the small pink nub of Grimm's nipple and latched on gently nipping and rolling it with his tongue causing the Beta to arch his chest and growl in mild protest. While keeping the blunette distracted Ichigo slipped his right hand along the man's stomach and when he reached the felines long raging hard cock he lightly wrapped his fingers around the length and gave it a gentle stroke.

A loud moan escaped Grimmjow lips as his erection was finally touched and his hips involuntary jerked up against the hand grasping him. Fuck that felt good. He heard the teen growl and the feline raked his claws against his shoulders. Desperate for pleasure he let out his own growl and purposely trusted his hips urging the Alpha to pay more attention to his weeping cock. The hand around his length tightened its grip and he slowly started to stroke it all the way from tip to base. Grimm let out a pleased purr and leaned down to lick along the side of his Alphas cheek.

Snapping his head up Ichigo gave the Beta a surprised look before it turned look of pure lust. He instantly noticed Grimmjow half lidded eyes and flushed face, his Beta obviously wanted more. The teen reached up and placed a quick peck on the blunettes lips before he slid completely of the bed, making the feline whine in protest. He made a low hushing sound and gently pulled Grimm's hips so that his rear legs were draped over the edge of the mattress and his rear was perched on the edge.

The blunette craned his neck to look at the Alpha in confusion but gasped when he watched Ichigo lower himself to his knees between his spread thighs. He stared at the teen as he grinned up at him before grasping his cock again with both hands, giving it a few strokes. Grimmjow bit back a low groan at the sight but gasped when his hard length was engulfed in the teens warm wet mouth and that tongue was doing sinful things to the head of his cock. After a few intense seconds Ichigo took in a deep breath through his nose before swallowing him whole, a loud whine of pleasure left the felines throat as his whole member was taken into the back of the teens throat. Where the hell had Ichi learned to do that he didn't know but at this point he didn't care. His eyes rolled back into his skull as the teen continued to swallow his sensitive cock.

Ichigo repeatedly bobbed his head and swallowed around Grimmjow's hard length, the teen had learned a few years ago that he had no gag reflex but this was his first time putting it to good use. He ensured to pay attention to the sensitive underside of the veiny cock, every time the teen pulled back he ran his tongue along the soft flesh, pulling a high pitched whine from his Beta's lips each time. Pulling off for a moment the Soul Reaper took in another deep breath before once again swallowing that hard member down the back of his throat and made a low humming sound. He felt the blunette shift as he let out a loud moan and a hand was suddenly gripping the teens orange hair tightly.

The Alpha let out a pleased growl at the tug on his hair and the vibration went straight to Grimmjow's length making the blunette gasp. The felines whole body shuddered as the teen sped up his pace, the tip of his cock was practically being milked by the back of the Ichigo's throat. He felt himself being brought to the peak of climax and roughly pulled at the orange hair between his clenched fists. "I-Ichi… I'm gonna… please let me… I need to cum"

The teen grinned as best as he could around cock buried deep in his throat then took it all the way to the base and repeatedly swallowed, the muscles of his throat gripped Grimm's length tightly. Ichigo reached up and gently palmed at the felines heavy sack. In a matter of seconds the blunette whined loudly and convulsed as he came, releasing his load right down the teens throat. The Alpha gulped down the large load of salty sweet cum, Grimmjow finally let his hair go and went completely lax against the bed. Ichigo slowly pulled away and released the now slightly softer cock, he licked the remnants of his Beta's cum from his lip.

Grimmjow's muscles were still twitching as he was coming down from his orgasmic high. The only thought going round his head was how amazing that had felt, he had never know for an Alpha to lower themselves to pleasure their Beta with their mouth. He was slowly recovered from the best orgasm of his life, when he opened his eyes he noticed that Ichigo was once again looming over him warmly smiling. The feline returned the smile and reached up to pull the teen down to crash their lips together, he could taste his own release in Ichigo's mouth as groaned into the kiss. That was fucking hot.

Ichigo lightly explored his Betas mouth for a moment then pulled his head back. He finally realized how gorgeous this man was, even the dark scars that marred his flesh couldn't take away the blunettes stunning beauty. His heart swelled inside his chest when he thought about Grimmjow being his, his Beta, his mate, his partner. The teen didn't know how it had happened in such a short space of time or if there was any reason behind it but he genuinely had feelings of adoration and maybe even love for this man. His knowledge of hollow life was still greatly lacking but he finally understood that there was much more to the creatures than he ever thought possible.

The Alpha admired the sight of his disheveled mate to be for a moment longer before he whispered. "I take it you enjoyed that babe" The endearment came out before the teen even thought about it.

Letting out a sigh of contentment Grimmjow looked up at the Alpha and nodded. He was still too winded to try to verbally reply. Never in his wildest dreams, would he have imagined how great it was to be at Ichigo's mercy. He looked up into golden eyes and sucked in a deep breath when he suddenly felt the teen grind his fabric covered hard cock against his hip. Instantly he felt his own length stir back to life, fuck he wanted Ichigo. Letting out a loud purr, the feline pressed his hip back up against Ichigo's erection pulling a growl of pleasure from the teen. He grinned and did it again.

Ichigo gritted his teeth as he held back a groan and took in a deep breath. It seemed his little kitty wanted more. He reached down and placed a quick kiss on the felines lips before his rose from the bed and shed his slacks and boxers. Now he stood as naked as his Beta looking Grimmjow in the eyes as he waited to see the man's reaction.

The felines teal eyes widened at the sight before him. Ichigo was a sculpture of solid muscle, all the way from his broad shoulders, rippling stomach to his taut thighs. And the hard erection between his legs was exceptional, it was thick from base to tip and much longer than his own. Grimmjow licked his lips and his gaze became clouded with lust. The blunette wanted to touch every inch of that amazing tanned flesh, some how he found the strength to move and slipped from the bed then rose to his feet, he took a small step forward and stood directly in front of the Alpha.

A growl of want rattled the teens chest but he remained motionless. The Beta slowly rose his hands and hovered them inches from his chest, with a slightly pleading look the blunette asked for permission. Ichigo leaned forward into the touch and immediately those hands ran all over his body. He heard the feline purr again and grinned, the teen wanted to touch as well but he held himself back, he had already had some fun so it was Grimm's turn.

The flesh beneath his finger tips was surprisingly soft, Grimmjow had started with the teens chest and slowly ran his hands lower to feel each bump and crevice of Ichigo's muscles. By the time he reached the Soul Reapers solid tights his mouth was watering with want. The feline decided it was time to speed things up, he stood back to his full height and closed the small gap between himself and the Alpha. He gently grasped the teens wrists and guided them behind his back and places them on his own firm ass cheeks. The Soul Reaper made a small sound of confusion. "Touch me Ichi, I'm ready for you"

The moment the last word left the felines pink lips Ichigo pounced, he gripped Grimm's round ass and grinded their lengths together harshly pulling a gasp from the blunette. The teen used his strength to lift his Beta so that his feet left the floor and took several steps forward. Once he felt he knees bump into the mattress he dropped the feline on to his back and resumed his position between the man's spread thighs. He loomed over the blunette and connected their eyes. "Last chance to back out Grimm, once we go further than this I don't think I will be able to stop" Ichigo heard his own voice tremble with anticipation. He really wouldn't be able to stop.

Grimmjow chuckled, how many times did he need to say he wanted this. He understood the teens concern but he had wanted nothing more ever in his life. "Baka, I already told you I want to be your mate. So shut up and take me" He pulled the Alpha down for a kiss and pushed his hips up, grinding against Ichigo's hot erection.

Ichigo didn't need any further prompting and took control. As he continued to softly claim the blunettes lips, his right hand reached over to his bed side draws, he pulled open the top draw and blindly rummaged until he found what he was hunting for. He pulled out a bottle of clear lube and pushed the draw closed.

The teen release the Beta's lips and sat up so that he was upright with Grimm's spread thighs rested on either side of hips. He pulled up the bottle of lube and popped open the cap and squirted a generous amount onto his finger. Glancing up to check that the feline was ok, Ichigo notice the look of confusion on his Beta's handsome face. He smile and whispered "It makes things easier, trust me"

The blunettes blush deepened and he nodded. After everything the teen had done to help him Grimmjow trusted the soul reaped with his very existence. He took in a deep breath and reached down to hook his hands under his knees and pulled his legs further apart, fully exposing his most intimate parts. He heard the teen growl in satisfaction and closed his eyes, waiting for the Alpha to make the next move.

It surprised the teen when Grimmjow spread his legs and he had to stop his mind from snapping then and there. Ichigo took in a deep breath and regained control, he smiled up at the feline and ran a comforting hand down the others spread thigh. Slowly he moved the hand covered in lube to Grimm's exposed pink hole and gently spread the warmed liquid around the small pucker. The blunette shivered at the first touch but instantly relaxed, Ichigo took that as the sign to continue and slowly inserted his middle finger inside the warm entrance.

Grimmjow hissed at the first intrusion, what ever the teen had used to cover his fingers was cold. He gasped a breath when the finger inside him withdrew and then slowly reentered. It was a little unusual but felt a thousand times better than anything he had endured so far. After a few more tentative probes Ichigo added a second finger and steadily spread them, stretching his inner walls.

Ichigo was amazed by how tight Grimmjow's insides were and carefully rubbed the pads of his finger tips along the soft flesh. He knew what he was looking for but decided to take his time finding it, first he needed to get the Beta to relax a bit more. The teen moved the hand that was rubbing the felines thigh and grasped his hard cock instead, he slowly stroked it in time with his fingers that were working the blunettes insides. The moan that left Grimm's lips urged Ichigo on and he increased his pace and he risked adding a third finger. He got another moan as his reward and knew it was time to find that little bundle of nerves that would make his Beta melt under his touch.

Withering in pleasure Grimmjow was in heaven, his insides were being pleasantly teased by those long fingers and his cock was hyper sensitive to the teens touch. Suddenly electricity was sent flying up the blunettes spine when the Alpha pressed firmly against his prostate, a loud moan left his lips and he arched his back of the bed. Fuck that was mind blowing. The teen repeated the assault and Grimmjow's whole body quivered in pleasure. Eventually the feline begged. "Ichi please stop teasing, claim me now"

The Alpha didn't need further invitation and withdrew his fingers. Ichigo looked his soon to be mate over and loved the sight of the fierce feline withering in pleasure. He quickly grabbed the bottle of lube and coated his hard cock and gave himself a few strokes spread the slippery fluid. With a little shift the teen lined himself up with Grimm's spasming hole. Glancing up he noticed that the blunette was watching him with a burning teal eyes. Ichigo leaned forward and braced his left arm on the mattress at the side of the felines head, he lower his chest and gently claimed his Betas lips. While his mate was distracted the teen slowly push forward and entered Grimmjow's tight heat.

A low whine of pain left the felines throat only to be swallowed up by the Alpha above him. As Ichigo continued to enter him Grimmjow reach up and wrapped his arms around the teens shoulders and dug his claws into muscular shoulder blades. Finally their hips met and were flush against each other, the blunette tilted his head away, separating their lips and gasped for breath. Fuck he felt so full. The Alpha paused and allowed him to get used to the thick cock spreading his inner walls. Grimm truly appreciated being given the time to adjust and after a few minutes he finally relaxed enough that the pain dwindled into a dull throb. He gave an experimental squeeze of his inner muscles and pulled a growl from the Alphas throat. Ichigo looked into his eyes pleadingly and he smiled then nodded his approval.

Ichigo nearly moaned in relief when his Beta gave him the signal that it was ok to move. He had felt as though his cock was about to be snapped of by that tight warmth. Slowly he withdrew a few inches and gently pressed back in. Fuck this was like he had died and gone to heaven. He continued the slow and gentle pace until he finally found that bundle of nerves once again and loved the deep moan that left Grimmjow's throat. The Alpha picked up the pace slightly and pulled out just a little more before he thrust back inside with more power.

The feline deeply dug his claws into the teens back as loudly gasped with each strong thrust into his prostate. Grimm's insides were melting around the Alpha's large shaft that assaulted his inner walls, he had never felt so full. He wanted more. "Please Alpha… harder… fuck me harder"

A loud growl left Ichigo's throat at his Beta's plea and he released Grimmjow's weeping length. The Alpha used both his hands to reposition the felines strong legs over his shoulder and lent forward practically bending the blunette in half. With this new position he was able to thrust even deeper and started to quicken the pace. The teen grunted as he pounded into his pliant Beta, the velvet heat that surrounded him was the best thing he had ever felt. Grimm was panting incoherently and his teal eyes had rolled up into his skull.

Fuck, fuck, fuuuuccckkk! Was the only word echoing in the blunettes head. Each hard thrust brutally assaulted Grimm's prostate head on and he was loosing his mind as fire was running through every nerve ending. He was hanging on to the Alpha for dear life, his claws had drawn blood that trickled down Ichigo's board back. With out any warning his balls tightened and his cock twitched violently as he came, spurting cum all over both his and Ichigo's stomachs.

The Alpha growled as he felt his Beta cum, those warm inner walls clenched milking him of his own orgasm. Driven by pure instinct Ichigo lunged forward and sank his teeth into the blunettes arched throat, he felt the skin break and his mouth was flooded with the warm, sweet taste of blood. Suddenly something snapped in to place and electricity was sparking through every muscle. The teen bit down harder and increased his pace even further, in mere seconds he came inside his mate.

After a few earth shattering minutes the teen finally released his jaw and leaned back to see Grimmjow's face. The felines eyes were closed, his cheeks were tinted a deep red and he was gasping for breath. Ichigo's chest filled with warmth as he processed that it had worked, they were mated. He could feel it, the bond that now linked them together, it was like a part of his own soul now dwelled within the blunette beneath him. Smiling the Alpha slowly released his grip on his mates legs, letting them slide down and rest on either side of his hips. He then carefully shifted his hips and slid out of the warm channel that was still twitching. The teen lent forward and placed a gentle kiss on Grimm's lips before he softly spoke. "You still conscious babe?"

Grimmjow was slowly coming down from his orgasmic high and the aftermath of the mating bond linking him and the Alpha together. His whole body was shaking and his heart was rapidly beating inside his chest. The moment Ichigo had sunk his teeth into his neck and filled him at the same time he had felt his soul being torn asunder only to be instantly put back together again mixing with his Alphas, his mate. Fuck Ichigo was his mate. Could his life get any better than this moment. The felines thoughts were finally catching up to reality when he realized the teen had spoke. He weakly chuckled and roughly whispered "Not for much longer"

Ichigo grinned and gently kissed his mates still bleeding neck. "Get some rest, I'll clean us up" He saw Grimm weakly nod his head before he closed his teal eyes and gave in to exhaustion. The teen carefully extracted himself from the tangle of the Beta's limbs and rose from the bed. His muscles protested the movement but he had to get clean. After a quick glance around the room he found his discarded sweats and slipped them on.

The Alpha tip toed out of the room and crept to the bathroom. There he quickly grabbed a wash cloth and ran it under the tap to dampen it. Once he deemed it wet enough the teen snuck back to his room and smiled when he heard Grimm lightly purring in his sleep. He reached the bed and instantly went about wiping the sweat, blood and cum from the felines flushed skin. When he deemed his mate thoroughly clean Ichigo striped of his sweats and scrubbed himself down quickly.

The could feel his own exhaustion catching up with him and dumped the cloth on to his desk, he picked up his alarm clock and set it for 2 hours time. Carefully he slipped the comforter from underneath the sleeping feline and rolled Grimmjow onto his side facing the wall. With a bit of careful positioning he climbed onto the bed and laid down behind his mate. With a slight shimmy Ichigo pressed his chest flush against the blunettes back and pulled the comforter up to cover them, once he deemed that they were hidden from sight he wrapped his arms around his Beta's middle and rested his hand protectively over his stomach. The teen reached out with his reiatsu and felt the same light tug against it. He smile warmly, Grimm was right they were going to be exceptionally strong. Still with a smile on his face Ichigo finally gave in and drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY finally some IchiGrimm Smut!!! I hope I wrote this ok, sex scenes have never been my forte. Please let me know how you found this chapter!
> 
> Also I need a little help with plot...I am wondering whether to give Shiro a mate later in this fic and who would it be? If anyone has any thoughts on this please let me know. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has come this far with me I look forward to the next update 
> 
> RRL x


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys, Hoped you all enjoyed the last steamy chapters XD
> 
> Here's the next chapter please enjoy

The steps creaked beneath his feet as Renji slowly descended the stairs. He was feeling slightly anxious at facing the shop keeper who he had come to greatly respect. The red head slowly peered around the door frame that lead to the living room and noticed Urahara was sat on the sofa and looking directly at him. The Soul Reaper swallowed a lump from his throat and cautiously entered the room. He reached the far end of the sofa and sat himself down, his eyes never leaving the store owner. Kisuke simply smiled at him before breaking the awkward silence. “I’m not going to bite Renji. Ichigo told me about your situation, I would like to help you both as best as I can”

The red head let out a deep breath that he didn’t know he was holding in, his shoulders slumped in relief. It wasn’t that Renji feared this man, he just simply worried of his judgement. And thankfully Kisuke seemed unfazed by his unique condition. Feeling a bit more at ease Renji lent back against the soft cushion behind him and softly replied. “Thanks Kisuke, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. What else did Ichigo tell you?”

The shop keeper kept the smile on his face as he answered. “I think he’s told me just about everything, he seemed a bit stressed. I’m aware that your pregnant with Byakuya Kuchiki’s child if that is what your wondering” 

Renji flinched at the words and lowered his gaze to the floor. He would admit he was slightly ashamed of how his child was conceived, he had been that desperate for his Captains attention he had allowed the noble to take with out any form of discussion before hand or afterwards. The red head began to wonder what Byakuya had been thinking when he unexpectedly instigated their little romp in his office, both of them had barely spoken since that night and the few time they had it had been about the squad or the current affairs with the Arrancar. 

The more he thought about it the tighter his chest felt, he was suddenly hit by a wave of jealousy. He was jealous of Grimmjow, the Arrancar was currently upstairs no doubt being mated by the sire of his offspring, meaning that Ichigo would be by his side as his pregnancy progressed and would support him. Renji wished he could have the same, he wanted to go to Byakuya and tell him everything, the noble would embrace him and promise to love their child and be by his side. His eyes began to burn, he knew that would never happen. Byakuya would most likely tell him to get rid of their mistake and to keep quiet about that night. Renji couldn’t bear the thought of loosing his child. Even if it meant that he would have to give up everything, he would protect this child.

“Erm Kisuke, have you heard of a male Soul Reapers becoming pregnant before? Hanataro told me that he had read about it” Renji’s asked hopefully that the older man had at least some knowledge on the subject.

Urahara tilted his head so that his face was hidden by his hat, he let out a deep sigh almost as if he was exhausted by something. After a long pause the blond lifted his head and gave the lieutenant a small smile. “I have some knowledge on the subject, from what I know the pregnancy within a male Soul Reaper progresses very similarly to that of a female. Conception happens when two males with highly powerful spiritual energy engage in intercourse, the exact details of how it happens is unclear. The baby forms within a protective sack that is made of tissue very much like a womb that is created around the fetus when conception occurs. The infant grows at the same rate of 9 months, but I admit that I don’t know how birth occurs. It may be possible for a natural birth or a cesarean section may need to be preformed” 

Renji’s red eyes were comically wide as he heard all of Kisuke’s explanation. He hadn’t been expecting that much detail from the blond and couldn’t help but wonder if he had personally known a male Soul Reaper whom had been in his current situation. Yet something told him to keep that question to himself. “Then that means I have 7 months left until I give birth. Is there anything else you know like why I’ve been so weak?” 

The blond just nods and answers. “You're weaker because the baby needs your reiatsu to grow stronger. I’m afraid to say it’s only going to get worse, they bigger your child grows the more it will need. I believe this may be why only those with strong spiritual pressure are able to conceive” 

Both males were interrupted as they heard a loud moan come through the ceiling. The looked up for a moment before turning their gaze back to each other, Renji’s face was turning the same color as his hair and Kisuke was just grinning like an idiot before he burst out laughing. “Well it seems our Substitute is officially consummating his mating with the Arrancar. Now I believe Ichigo wouldn’t object to us helping our self to a cup of tea, would you like one Renji?” 

Still embarrassed by what he had just heard the lieutenant just nodded his head. Even though he had known it was going to happen he really didn’t need to hear the evidence. Renji followed as the shop keeper rose from the sofa and made his way into the kitchen. Thankfully it was much quieter in the back of the house and the red head watched as Kisuke went about making two cups of tea. It took mere minutes before they both had a warm beverage in hand and Renji had finally recovered enough to speak. “So I’m going to get a lot weaker, I really don’t know what I’m going to do. I can’t go to Byakuya and I can’t expect Ichigo to protect me for the next 7 months” 

Kisuke took a sip of his tea and leaned against one of the counter tops. “I do believe both Ichigo and Grimmjow have already accepted you as a part of their pack. From what little I know of hollow behavior, you are stuck with them” The grin on the blonds face told Renji he found that fact extremely amusing.

The red head was lost for words, he remembered Grimmjow had said something about seeing him as a fellow Beta and that Beta’s protected each other. Is that what the feline had meant? That he was a part of their pack? Some how that thought comforted him greatly. “Ok then, I’m apart of their pack, what ever that means but I still have to get through this pregnancy without anyone from the Gotei 13 finding out. I can’t be a lieutenant and safely carry my child at the same time” 

The blonde let out a loud exasperated sigh and placed his cup down. “Renji, I know your in a difficult situation but your not as alone as you think. I was going to let Ichigo tell you this but considering he is currently preoccupied I will tell in his stead. I am currently powering up a Garganta to get Ichigo, Chad and Uryuu to Hueco Mundo for them to rescue Orihime. Ichigo still intends to go and he is hoping you and Grimmjow will go with him” 

Kisuke was looking the red head directly in the eye and gave him a moment to process what he had just said before continuing. “I must warn you though if you do go, At this moment I’m not sure what effect the time difference will have on your pregnancy. I need to monitor Grimmjow for a few hours before I can tell you more but I am hoping that his body has adapted to being in this realm. If that is the case I can make a positive prediction” 

Renji’s mind was working overtime trying to put together everything the shop keeper come apparent scientist had just told him. So Ichigo is going to Hueco Mundo with Uryuu and Chad to rescue Orihime, that bit he understood. It was Ichigo’s nature to protect anyone he considered a friend, he had gone to the Soul Society to rescue Rukia so it was only right he would do the same for the other girl. Taking Grimmjow was understandable, they were mates now and the feline was carrying the teens cubs, but why would he want to bring him along? He would be nothing but a burden. And then there was all that gobbledygook about the time difference. The red head didn’t even want to think about what that meant.

The Soul Reaper continued to mull over his options. If he went with Ichigo he would possibly be putting himself and his child in danger. But if he stayed here or went back to the Soul Society he would also be at risk, he would be hunted by the Gotei 13 for abandoning his post as lieutenant and he dreaded to think about what would happen if Byakuya found him. At least if he traveled to Hueco Mundo it would be harder for anyone to find him and he would also have Ichigo to protect him. Looks like the decision was made for him. 

While Renji had been lost in thought, Kisuke had simply finished his tea and even brewed himself another. He watched to make sure the pregnant Soul Reapers head didn’t explode but thankfully the red head just continued to stare blankly at the wall. Finally he got bored and stepped in front of Renji and clicked his fingers. “Renji… earth to Renji… I’ve not broken you have I?”

The Soul Reaper shook his head and blinked as he was snapped out of his daze. Oh he was still in Ichigo’s kitchen with Urahara. “No I’m not broken, just needed to think, which is not exactly one of my strong suits” Renji looked down at the untouched cup of tea in his hand and placed it on the counter top next to him. He sighed and continued. “If Ichigo wants me to go to Hueco Mundo, I’ll go with him. I probably won’t be much use but I will help him any way I can” 

Urahara smiles widely at the red head. “Very well, I would still like to monitor the Arrancar just to confirm my theory but if you have made your mind up then I won’t attempt to stop you. Any way it sounds like the happy couple have finally passed out, it will probably be a few hours until they wake so why don’t we go back to the living room. It has been awhile since I’ve been able to enjoy watching some television with out Jinta complaining that he wants to watch his cartoons”

Renji nodded his head, he was getting tired of standing around. Both men walked back into the living room and sat themselves down on the sofa. Kisuke grabbed a small black thing with buttons on it that’s seemed to control the television, the blond switched it on and flicked through a few channels before settling on some show about animals and how they lived. The red head was uninterested in what was on the box and soon enough dozed off.

A few hours later the loud beeping of the alarm clock rang through out the bed room. Grimmjow jolted awake at the high pitched wailing, instantly forcing himself to sit up and search for danger. He noticed that his Alpha was grumbling in his sleep and had pulled the pillow over his head. The feline looked around the room and realized that the infernal beeping was coming from a small device sat on Ichigo’s desk. He growled menacingly and climbed over the teen to attack the device, along the way his knee landed squarely in Ichigo’s stomach causing the teen to abruptly wake with a loud groan of pain. 

Ichigo hissed in discomfort as the knee imbedded in his stomach applied more pressure as the feline launched himself at the alarm clock. He removed the pillow from his face and was greeted by the sight of Grimmjow perched atop his desk repeatedly punching the poor little clock until it stopped beeping and was left broken into hundreds of pieces. Well that was not how expected to wake up. The teen sat himself up and rubbed his aching middle, he bit back a laugh and forced out. “Grimm I think it’s dead”

The blunette glared up at his mate and hissed before landing one last punch to the pieces of the horrid device that had woken him from his peaceful slumber. Once he was sure that the thing was not going to make that noise again he climbed of the desk and stretched out his aching back. With his muscles now moving as he wanted them to Grimmjow turned to face the Alpha who was looking far to amused for being woken up in such a manner. “What you looking at me like that for? That thing was assaulting my ears with its wailing. It got what it deserved”

The teen couldn’t hold it back any longer and burst out laughing. “That thing was my alarm clock, it was meant to wake us up with that, ‘wailing’. It was just doing the job I gave it” He watched as the felines expression changed from annoyed to anger. Oops. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that.

Grimm’s glared at his Alpha and growled again. But as much as he would have loved to hand Ichigo his ass he had other things to worry about. It was official now, they were mated. He had to admit that he felt different, his instincts had calmed and he was feeling much more relaxed. The blunette could feel the bond that linked his soul to the teens, it was like there was a length of string tied to his chest that connected him to Ichigo’s and he could feel the Alpha’s warmth flowing into him from it. He had only heard about the bond between mates and he thought it was a thousand times better that the stories. Letting out an exhausted sigh he finally spoke. “Whatever, it’s fucking dead. Why did you want to wake up now anyway?”

Ichigo let out a breath of relief that he wasn’t about to be tickle attacked like Renji had been earlier. He wouldn’t admit it but he was extremely ticklish. The teen turned so that his legs slipped of the bed and his feet rested on the floor. He quickly stretched out his stiff shoulders and looked up at his taller Beta. “Renji’s still downstairs and so is Kisuke. I don’t think they would appreciate us sleeping the whole day away. We need to talk to them about what we’re going to do. But before we go and see them I’m gonna see if some of my clothes fit you” 

Rising to his feet the orange-haired teen walked to his wardrobe and was thankful it was no longer home to the midget Rukia. As he slid the door open he thought about his short friend, what would she say if she were here? And how would she react knowing here childhood friend was pregnant with her brothers child? Shit that was too much to think about right now. Looking through is clothes, Ichigo pulled out two pairs of clean gray sweat pants, his favorite shirt and a white vest top. He quickly dressed himself in a pair of sweats and the vest, then he turned to his still naked mate who was just staring at him with his head tilted in confusion. “Here try these on, I know their not the best but they will have to do until we can get you some proper clothes”

Grimmjow looked at the hideous clothing and wanted to shred them, but Ichigo was right. He couldn’t parade around naked in front of Red and that other person, Kisuke. Begrudgingly he figured out how to slip the pant on and pulled the bright yellow shirt over his head, the pants were comfortable but the shirt was a bit baggy for his liking. Finally dressed the feline looked back to his Alpha who was smiling widely at him. His chest swelled with warmth and he had to forcefully stop himself from purring. Damned instinct was turning him into a kitten. 

Ichigo felt a rush of pride at seeing his mate dressed in his clothes. He didn’t have time to dwell on the thought as he turned his attention back to the current matter, he still had to discuss with Grimmjow and Renji about the journey to Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime. Not to mention inform Uryuu and Chad about the added company on the trip. “Come on, let’s go and see Renji and Kisuke. I’m sure Mr. hat and clogs is interested in meeting you” 

Before mating, Grimm was sure his instincts would have him shivering in fear at the thought of meeting the powerful man downstairs. But due to the bond, he could feel Ichigo’s confidence seeping in to him and it instantly helped him feel at ease. The feline pulled at the collar of the ugly shirt again and glared down at it. “ok but if anyone asks about this abomination I’m telling them that’s it yours” He looked up at his mate who was chuckling and rolled his teal eyes. Ichigo continued to laugh as he exited the bedroom, the blunette follow closely behind as they made their way down the stairs.

The teen lead the way to the living room and was amused to see that both Renji and Kisuke had fallen asleep on the sofa. The shop keeper was still sat upright but his head was flopped forward with his hat covering his face. Renji had pulled his long legs up so that they were tucked to the side of him and he curled up again the arm of the couch and was adorably sucking his thumb. Ichigo couldn’t resist the urge and pulled out his phone and snapped a picture to tease the red head with later. He felt Grimm peer over his shoulder and heard the feline hold back a laugh when he took in the sight of the sleeping men. “Shhh don’t wake them yet. Follow me to the kitchen” He waved his hand and crept to the kitchen. 

Once they were in the kitchen Ichigo felt a slight tug on the bond and turned to see his mate. Grimmjow was looking around the room with a look of awe, the teen scrunched his brow in confusion and whispered. “Grimm, you ok?”

The felines eyes had widened as he entered the kitchen, as Ichigo had called it, the room was filled with strange looking devices and shiny things. He could also smell a mix of food that he didn’t recognize. Hearing the Alpha speak refocused his attention. “Oh yea, it’s just I’ve never see a lot of this stuff before” 

The teen smiled at his Beta and stepped closer to him. “If you wanna know about anything just ask”   
It only took ten minutes for Ichigo to regret that offer, Grimmjow immediately began going around the kitchen pointing at each and every object asking what it was, what it did and was it dangerous. The Alpha remained patient and answered all the questions asked even going as far as showing the feline how some of the appliances works, the one that fascinated the blunette the most was the microwave. After a while Grimm finally got bored. “I’m going to have a cup of tea do you want one?”

Grimmjow scrunched his face at the thought of drinking that foul stuff that Aizen insisted all the Espada consume during meetings. He had always found it discussing but had forced the stuff down as did most of the others, in truth the only one who seemed to enjoy it was Ulquiorra. The feline was about to decline the offer but Ichigo beat him to it. 

“I take it you don’t like tea, how about coffee instead?” The teen suggested.

The blunette was once again confused “Coffee? What is that?” He had never heard of that before but if it was better than tea then he would definitely give it a try.

Ichigo didn’t bother to say anything else and went about brewing up a pot of coffee for his Beta. He pulled out two mugs and filled one with tea for himself and once the coffee was brewed he poured it into the cup. He tested it first and decided to add a little sugar to sweeten it a bit. Holding out the mug he spoke “Here, try this. Be careful it’s hot”

Reaching out Grimm took hold of the cup and looked at the brown liquid inside it. He frowned and brought it up to his nose and sniffed, it smelled bitter yet it wasn’t unpleasant, braving the new beverage he lowered it to his lips and took a sip. The hot bitter taste flooded his mouth and his eyes widened, wow this stuff tasted amazing, he instantly gulped down the rest of the coffee. He removed the empty mug away from his lips and looked at Ichigo with a beaming smile. “Coffee is amazing, it’s so much better than that shitty tea I used to have to drink”

Returning the smile Ichigo took a sip of his own tea before he took the mug from his mate. “Want some more?” He was answered by an overly enthusiastic nod from the blunette, the teen rolled his eyes and quickly refilled the mug. Once Grimm had his second cup of coffee he thankfully drank it slower. The teen was just about to finish his own drink when he heard foot steps coming from the living room. He turned to the door and notice Kisuke walking into the kitchen. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone sorry for the wait for this chapter. It's been crazy with everything going on. 
> 
> I just want to say I hope everyone is coping with all that's going on with Corvid 19. Stay safe and stay home if you can.

“Oh hello Ichigo I didn’t realize you had woken up, and this must be Grimmjow” The shop keeper turned to his mate and slightly bowed. The teen watched the blunette reaction to the new person, Grimm just gave him a cautious glance and a nod before he turned his attention back to his coffee. At least he wasn’t hissing or running from the room.

“Hi Kisuke sorry for keeping you waiting. Is Renji ok?” The teen greeted the blond. He had been a little worried about how the whole mating had affected the red head.

Urahara simply walked to the tea pot and poured himself a cup then turned to the newly mated couple. “Renji is fine, he was a little nervous around me at first but once we got chatting he relaxed. I must apologize though I had to inform him about your up coming journey to Hueco Mundo to rescue Miss Orihime”

At hearing the name of his home world Grimmjow instantly tensed, dropping his mug that shattered on the floor and turned his gaze to the Alpha. What did the shop keeper mean by journey to Hueco Mundo? Surely Ichigo hadn’t just mated him only to abandon him to rescue that woman? The teen must have picked up on his anxiety through the bond because in an instant Ichigo was stood directly in front of him with his hands on his shoulders. 

It was like nothing he had experienced in his life, it the space of a mere second Ichigo was flooded by heart clenching anxiety that flowed from his Beta. If the clattering of the mug on the tiled floor didn’t give away Grimmjow’s emotions the fear that was filling the bond did. Ichigo didn’t even have time to glare at the shop keeper as he moved quickly and stood in front of his mate and tightly gripped his upper arms. “Grimm its ok, I was going to tell you and Renji together. Kisuke shouldn’t have said that”

A slight shiver ran down the felines back and he looked the teen directly in his honey brown eyes. “You’re going to Hueco Mundo? Are you gonna leave me here?” His voice was barely a whisper as he spoke. He feared the answer but he needed to know.

Ichigo’s eyes widened at the question and he rushed to answer. “No! I’m not…” He had to take a deep breath to compose himself as he continued. “I am going to Hueco Mundo, but I’m not leaving you here or any where. I want both you and Renji to come with me. My friends Uyruu and Chad are coming as well, between the three of us we can protect both you and Ren”. He saw that Grimm was searching his face for any sign of a lie. 

The teen closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the Beta in a tight embrace. He felt Grimmjow rest his head on his shoulder and began to rumble his chest in attempt to comfort his mate. “I’m not going to leave you Grimm. You or our cubs. But I have to save her. I can’t leave Orihime in that bastards hands. I’m gonna kill him, so he can’t hurt you or anyone else again” 

Grimmjow melted into his Alpha’s embrace. At hearing his mates reassuring words he felt a wave of relief. He wasn’t overly thrilled at the idea of returning to the same realm as Aizen but his Alpha was the leader of their pack and it was his job as his mate to support him. He also would like to see Ichigo tearing Aizen apart first hand. “When are we going?” He asked calmly.

Pulling away just far enough to look at the blunette face he softly answered. “Kisuke said the Garganta would be ready in three days” He then turned his head to look at the shop keeper who had a guilty look on his face and nodded sheepishly. This was not how he wanted to have this discussion. “What did Renji say when you told him” 

The shop keeper took a sip of his tea and replied. “He said he would go with you. But I have to admit I am still slightly worried about what effect the time difference will have on him” 

Ichigo took in a deep breath and pondered for a moment before asking. “Is there any way we can find out how it will affect him?”

Kisuke didn’t hesitate to speak. “I actually have a theory but I would need Grimmjow’s help. With both of your consent I would like to monitor the cubs growth for a few hours”

Grimmjow tensed again and buried his face against his mates shoulder. Images of Aizen’s experiments flashed behind his eye lids, the feline shivered and clung to his Alpha. He didn’t want to go through any of that again but he would have to do what ever his Alpha decided. Once again Ichigo must have picked up on his emotions because his embrace tightened and his chest rumbled louder. He relaxed a little but didn’t attempt to look up. He 

The teen looked at Grimm’s blue hair as that is all that was visible of the Beta, he raised his hand and gently petted the soft locks. What had triggered such a reaction. “Grimm? What’s wrong?”

The feline nuzzled against the hand in his hair and felt compelled to answer. “I don’t wanna do more experiments. They really hurt when Aizen did em” His voice was slightly shaky.

Before Ichigo could respond, Kisuke must have heard the quiet words as he spoke up first. “It’s not an experiment Grimmjow. All I need to do is place a small monitor on your stomach and it reads your cubs reiatsu levels for a few hours. You won’t feel any pain and it is completely harmless to the cubs” 

Grimmjow listened to the blonds words and took a moment to process them. So there wouldn’t be any invasive experiments? All he would have to do is wear a small monitor for a few hours. It didn’t seem too bad. “Ok if that’s all it is. But how would it help you?”

Ichigo had wondered the exact same thing. How would monitoring the cubs for a few hours give any conclusive data? “That’s a good point Grimm. How would a few hours help?”

Kisuke sighed and put his cup on the counter top. “I would like to know if the cubs are growing in accordance to our time or Hueco Mundo’s. If they have adapted to the change of realms then I’m fairly confident Renji’s infant would do the same”

The teens eyes widened, why hadn’t he realize that earlier. He looked Grimmjow in the eyes and smiled. “I get it and I must admit knowing at what rate their growing would be a great help to us as well, you sure your ok with this Grimm?”

The feline simply nodded, all this flaring emotion was quickly tiring him out. The Alpha quickly picks up on his mates tiredness and leads him to the living room where Renji is still sleeping soundly. Grimmjow follows and without prompting climbs on the sofa next to the red head and curls up against the Soul Reapers side, resting his head on the others shoulder. 

Ichigo smiles at the sleeping Betas and headed back to the kitchen to continue his discussion with the shop keeper. He gathered that the pregnancy’s must be extremely draining on both of them, but probably more so on Grimmjow as he was carrying triplets. It suddenly crossed his mind that he was possibly the only one that knew how many cubs the feline was baring. That’s when is finally hit him, he was going to be a father of triplets, part human, part Soul Reaper and part Arrancar triplets. Shit. 

Practically running into the kitchen Ichigo went straight past Kisuke to the sink and ran the cold water tap. He scooped up a handful of cold water and splashed it over his face. He couldn’t panic now! He needed to be strong for everyone who was relying on him. ‘ **King, calm down. Its gonna be ok, you’re not alone in this’**

Some how hearing Shiro’s voice inside his head instantly helped him catch his breath. Ichigo was slowly warming up to the idea that his inner hollow wasn’t as bad as he had originally made himself out to be. _‘Thanks Shi, I needed to hear that’_

He heard a echoey laugh resonate in his head. ‘ **No problem King. I’m always here. I must say though that was quite a show. I didn’t think ya had it in ya to go all Alpha’**

Ichigo felt his face heat up and his whole body must have turned red. The fucker had been watching while he had mated Grimmjow. He wanted to jump in to his inner world and kick the bastards ass. ‘ _You bastard, how could you watch while I…I you know…’_

Shiro laughed again **‘I didn’t have much choice King, that’s the only thing that was on the box in here’**  
  
The teen was just about to respond when he felt a gentle hand being placed upon his shoulder. He turned and noticed Kisuke stood behind him looking concerned. “Um Ichigo are you ok, you seem a little distracted”

The laughing in his head got louder and Ichigo could virtually see the albino rolling around on the side ways buildings in hysterics. And he was beginning to like the cocky fucker, why? The teen tried to ignore the annoying voice in his head and answered the shop keeper. “Sorry Kisuke, it’s just Shiro” He pointed to his head and continued. “He’s being annoying”

The laughing suddenly stopped. **‘Wait, ya told the weird shop keeper about me?’** His usually cocky voice sounded a little nervous. 

Ichigo was confused. _‘I thought you saw everything that I do?’_ He asked the hollow unsure how to feel about the albino having constant viewing of his daily life.

**‘I don’t see everything, when ya do boring stuff like have a long ass conversation with that guy I tend to zone out’** Shiro sounded a little embarrassed.

It was Ichigo’s turn to laugh and he did so out loud. He never would have imagined the smug bastard admitting to something so pathetic as that. Just as he was about to reply he was once again interrupted by the blond shop keeper. “Ichigo, sorry but it’s a bit unnerving to see you zoning out like that. If its ok I would like to meet this hollow of yours. You did say he could materialize” 

The teen turned his attention inward and could feel Shiro considering Urahara’s request. He didn’t bother to ask the question and waited for his inner hollow to make his mind up. ‘ **I’ll come out but only if Mr funny hat promises not to kill or try to experiment on me. His face is looking very suspicious’**

Ichigo laughed and relayed the message to the shop keeper. “He said he would meet you but only if you promise not to kill him or experiment on him” 

Urahara chuckled at the response and nodded his head. “I promise not to kill him but I can’t deny that I’m curious as to how he is able to separate his soul from yours and manifest a fully tactile body of his own” 

The albino took that as a positive answer and decided he would come out to play, he focuses his energy of separating his soul from his Kings. It took him a mere minute and black smoke erupted around the teen originating from his chest, Shiro’s body formed from the smoke and he finally stood in front of both his king and the shop keeper who was staring at him with wide eyes. **“Yo, nice ta meet ya”**

The Alpha shivered as he felt his soul separate, it was a strange feeling to be split in two. Once the hollow had fully materialized in front of him he let out a deep breath, he didn’t think he would ever get uses to that. Ichigo turned his attention back to the shop keeper who was staring with wide eyes at the albino copy of himself. He chuckled “The resemblance it uncanny, don’t you think Kisuke?”

The blond was snapped out of his daze and took a cautious step closer to the hollow and looked him over head to toe. “It’s amazing, I never thought it would be possible for you to completely manifest as a separate entity. Does this mean that Ichigo can’t use your powers when your like this” 

Shiro grinned like a maniac and answered the question. **“Nah King can still use my power, our power cores are completely separate so when I’m out like this we both are at full power”**

Ichigo remained silent as Kisuke repeatedly asked questions and Shiro answered them. It was like watching two long lost friends catching up after decades apart. The teen quickly got bored of being ignored and went about rooting thought the cupboards to make some food. None of them had eaten since last night as he was sure both Grimm and Renji would be hungry when they woke up. He found some ramen noodles and some frozen chicken in the freezer, it only took him a few minutes to get them on the stove and cooking.

Renji yawned as he slowly awoke from his pleasant nap. For some strange reason there was a warm lump pressing into his side. Red eyes fluttered open and as he finally adjusted to the light he notices a flash of blue hair resting against his shoulder. When did Grimmjow get here? The Soul Reapers awakening must have disturbed the dozing feline as he groans lightly and nuzzles his head against the red head then snuggles closer. Renji doesn’t think he has seen anything so adorable in a long time, the blunette was curled up to him just like a real cat would. 

Smiling down at the sleeping Betas curled up against his side, Renji doesn’t have the heart to disturb the blunette. He relaxes back against the cushions supporting him and enjoys the warmth of the pregnant Arrancar. The red head took this opportunity to thoroughly inspect Grimmjow. He could tell from reading Grimm’s reiatsu that there was very strong traces of Ichigo’s mixed with the blunettes. It seemed that mating literally bound two souls together, he guessed that the teens reiatsu would feel similar. While reading the blunettes spiritual pressure Renji noticed something strange. 

Although Grimm was clearly an Arrancar the core of his soul felt completely different from the few Arrancar that Renji had met. When he had fought that blond bull, he had felt the man’s core and could feel the hundreds of hollows inside him. Renji knew about hollow evolution and once they reached Gillian and Adjuchas they would consume other hollow to get stronger. The soul core would consist of remnants of every hollow that had been consumed and the center would belong to the strongest of the souls, also being the original soul that would be the consciousness and personality. 

Grimmjow’s core was completely different though, rather than consisting of hundreds souls there was only about six. The center of his core was huge compared to any Arrancar he had seen and was immensely powerful. The only other person who had similar reiatsu was Ichigo. The teens soul core was extremely powerful and consisted of three souls, Ichigo’s being the center and two others that Renji assumed was his Zanpakuto and hollow. He really needed to ask Ichigo and Urahara about this. 

At some point during the red heads musing Grimmjow had slowly awoken. He looked up at the Soul Reaper and noticed that he must be thinking about something really intense if the look on his face was anything to go by. The tattooed brows were creased and he was constantly biting on his bottom lip. Unsure what to do the feline simply stayed curled up against the red head and waited for him to finish contemplating whatever it was he was thinking about. Just as his patience was staring to wear thin Renji looked down at him and startled a little at seeing him awake. “You didn’t hurt yourself there thinking to hard did you red?” Grimm joked as he was relieved that he could finally stretch out his stiff limbs. 

Renji blushed slightly at the felines comment and bit back a snarky reply. He couldn’t deny that he was starting to get a head ache. Instead of biting to the blunettes bate he simply smiled and rolled his eyes. “What ever. Hey are you hungry I think I can smell Ichigo’s cooking?”

Keen ears prick up at the promise of food and just at that moment his stomach growled to let him know it agreed very much with that idea. Grimm sniffed the air and just as the red head had said he could smell the delicious scent of his mates cooking. Why the hell hadn’t Ichi woke him for food, all he had consumed all day was those cups of coffee. “Sounds good Red. Let’s go” 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 

Both pregnant men rose from the sofa and quickly stretched out there sleep stiffened muscles. Grimmjow led the way to the kitchen and closer to that heavenly scent. As they reached the door way the feline picked up the sound of a strange voice that he hadn’t heard before. It sounded echoey and rough almost as if two people were talking at the same time, for some reason this voice sent a shiver down his spine. Grimm slowed his pace and the red head behind him seemed to follow his lead. 

Once they reached the door way the Beta peered his head around the door frame and his teal eyes widened as he laid his gaze upon the strangest thing he had ever seen. There were two Ichigo’s?! One was the orange-haired youthful human he knew and was mated too, who was cooking. The other was a completely white version of him, that was talking to the shop keeper. Everything from his hair to his skin were deathly white, just his Shihakusho bore a small amount of black. The only bit of color Grimm could see was in this strangers eyes, his irises were golden laid upon black. That was the only thing he recognized about this copy of his mate, those eyes he had seen once before, when he and Ichigo had fought and his mate had donned that mask.

Renji was in the same state of shock at seeing this albino version of Ichigo. His mind had gone blank the moment he laid his eyes upon the pale stranger, he didn’t know if he should shout or remain silent. The red head just simply stared with wide eyes.

Shiro was deeply engrossed in his conversation with Urahara and was enjoying answering the man’s questions. They were just discussing what it was like in Ichigo’s inner world when he heard a slight gasp. He stopped mid sentence and turned to the doorway of the kitchen and mentally cursed when he spotted the two Betas that were staring at him with wide surprised eyes. His King was so preoccupied with cooking that even he hadn’t noticed their appearance. The shop keeper had also turned to face the pregnant males but remained unmoving and silent.

The albino had always been good at reading others emotions and could instantly tell that both Grimmjow and Renji were torn between fear and fascination. Not wanting to upset them further he took a slow step backwards, towards the teen and quietly whispered. **“King, we have company”**

Busy preparing the chicken ramen Ichigo almost didn’t hear Shiro speak. He turned around to question what he meant and was greeted by the sight of two wide eyed Betas. Fuck, he had completely forgotten that neither Grimm or Renji knew nothing about his inner hollow. Both of them were glancing between him and the albino copy of himself quite obviously confused. The teen quickly turned back to the stove and turned off the heat before turning back to the Betas. “Hi Grimm, Renji. I know this must be confusing and I will explain everything. I promise that he is not a threat so you don’t need to fear him. I’ve just finished making ramen let’s sit down and eat. I will properly introduce you both to Shiro” 

Both Betas shared a look to each other, Grimmjow felt a little more at ease from his mates words but was still unsure about this strange figure. Renji gave him a nod of encouragement and the feline turned back to the teen and his company. “Ok we will eat, only because I’m starving and the cubs are demanding food. But I want to know exactly what’s going on here”. Following Renji’s lead the blunette walked over to the dining table and sat down next to his fellow Beta his eyes still glued between his Alpha and the one referred to as Shiro. 

Ichigo let out a sigh of relief and slumped his shoulders, he really didn’t need this right now but he had no other choice but to deal with it. “Shi can you get the bowls from the cupboard? Kisuke why don’t you sit with Grimm and Ren?” Both of them did as he asked, Shiro grabbed five bowls from the top cupboard and Urahara sat beside Renji. Working quickly the teen dished up five portions of the ramen and handed two to his hollow and carried the other three himself. 

Once everyone had a bowl in front of them an awkward silence filled the room and no-one reached for their food. The silence dragged out for several minutes and Shiro rolled his eyes. **“For fuck sake King, don’t make a promise then sit there like a fucking lemon!”** He turned to the two Betas that were glaring at him. **“Hi I’m Shiro, as this bastard calls me. I’m technically the hollow part of Ichigo’s soul as well as part of his Zanpakuto Zangetsu. I learned how to separated myself from him back when he was training with those fuckers the Vizards. I’m here to make sure King doesn’t fuck everything up and now we’re having lunch. Any questions?”**

Ichigo instantly face palmed himself then rubbed his temples in exasperation. Trust Shiro to have absolutely no tact and since when did the bastard swear so much. The teen looked back up at the others sat around the table, Kisuke looked ready to burst out laughing, Renji looked confused and Grimm just had his eyebrows raised. “Well done Shi, now everyone knows you’re an ass. Sorry about him. Up until recently he has been inside my inner world helping me get stronger and master my hollow powers. I know he looks like a demon and I will admit he’s a pain in the ass but he’s not a bag guy”

Grimmjow listened intently to both the albino and his mate, so he was the one behind that masks power and anyone that strong deserved his respect. He looked between the two for a moment before finally speaking. “I won’t say I understand because I have no fucking clue what most of that meant but if he’s strong and will protect my cubs then I’m fine with him being around” 

Renji finally voiced his own opinion on the matter as well. “I agree with Grimm. I probably understood more but I think as long as he’s here to help then I’ve got no problem with him” 

All the men around the table sighed in unison, Urahara didn’t bother saying anything and began to eat his ramen. Everyone else just shared looks before following his lead and tucked into their own food. Throughout the meal they all remained quiet, the ramen that Ichigo had cooked was absolutely delicious and the only sounds that could be heard were slurps as they all ate vigorously. 

Once they had finished eating Urahara announced that it was time for him to leave as Tessai and the children would be getting worried and that he needed to check on the progress of the Garganta. He promised to return tomorrow with the monitor to check on Grimmjow’s cubs and gathered his cane before leaving the four men to their evening. 

The rest of the night was spent in peace. Ichigo set up the television for Grimmjow and Renji to watch while he and Shiro cleaned up. The albino offered to return to the teens inner world but Ichigo refused, he wouldn’t admit it out loud but he quite liked having the hollow around. Once done with the cleaning they joined the Betas on the sofa, Shiro sat on the end and Ichigo sat in the middle, Grimm instantly curled up against his side, Renji sat beside the feline and ended up leaning against the blunette.

After a few hours of watching the TV the Alpha and two Betas dozed off. Shiro chuckled as all three of them had practically curled into a cuddle pile around the blunette. He quietly crept upstairs and grabbed a couple of blankets from Ichigo’s bedroom and brought them back to the living room. Draping them over the sleeping trio, Shiro then returns to his spot next to his King and leans again the teens side and pulls one of the blankets to cover himself, shortly after he joins them in sleep. 

The following morning Shiro was the first to wake. Not being used to sleeping in his materializes form he found it strange. As he opened his golden eyes he noticed that at some point during the night he had completely wrapped himself around his Kings back. Ichigo was resting sideways against the back of the sofa and Grimmjow was curled up against his chest with the Alphas arms wrapped around the feline. Renji was in a similar position to himself and was plastered against the blunettes side. The albino smiled at the sight of his pack snuggled up together. Although they had come together under horrendous circumstances their little pack bonds were becoming very strong. 

Yawning silently the hollow carefully removed himself from the cuddle pile making sure not to disturb his King. Once he was on his feet, Shiro snuck to the kitchen he had seen Ichigo make coffee many times but had never tasted the beverage himself. He quickly went about turning on the coffee machine and waited a few minutes. Once the brown liquid boiled he poured it into a mug and decided to add some sugar, once he deemed it drinkable the albino took a sip. Wow… he could see why Grimmjow and Ichigo enjoyed this so much. He quickly finished his brew and pondered what to do next. 

Looking at the clock mounted on the wall, Shiro noticed it was 6am. Urahara would be returning at 8am, so that gave them a few hours. Deciding that he would try his hand at cooking the hollow found some eggs, bacon and a loaf of bread, might as well start off with something easy.

A shiver ran down the orange-haired teens back. Some how it felt like something was missing and he couldn’t quite notice what it was. Ichigo slowly woke and when he finally opened his eyes he realized that instead of being in his bed, he had fallen asleep on the sofa curled up with Grimm and Renji. Wait when did the blankets from his room end up down here and where the hell had Shiro gone. He did a quick mental check and Zangetsu confirmed that the hollow had yet to return. Even though he thought he should be worried Ichigo felt completely at ease. Just as he was about to try and remove himself from the tangle of limbs he smelt the scent of his favorite breakfast, so Shiro was cooking, that was adorable. Eventually he was able to get up with out waking Grimm or Renji and followed his nose into the kitchen.

When he peered around the doorframe the teen had to bite back a laugh. Shiro was humming and swaying his hips as he was frying up the eggs and bacon. Ichigo slowly crept up behind him and was slightly surprised that the albino hadn’t heard him. “Having fun?”

Shiro almost jumped out of his white skin, thankfully he didn’t throw the pan at his King. He turned around and glared at the teen who was now bent over laughing like an idiot. **“What the fuck King? I almost killed ya with a frying pan”**

It took Ichigo a few moments to compose himself. “Sorry Shi, I couldn’t resist. Why are you cooking anyway?”

The albino shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the pan full of food that was nearly finished. **“I was bored. Funny hat will be here in a few hours so I thought I’d do breakfast before he got here”**

The teen smiled, he never would have guessed the hollow would have such a domestic side. He peered into the pan on the stove and was surprised to see the eggs and bacon perfectly cooked and even seasoned. The toaster suddenly popped up, wow he had even made toast. Without saying another word the teen walked to the other side of the kitchen and pulled out four plates from the bottom cupboard before carrying them over to Shiro. “I’ll wake up Grimm and Ren, you can finish up”. The albino nodded and the teen walked to the living room.

When he entered the front room he noticed that Grimm had moved and was now practically draped on top of Renji. He chuckled and took the few steps so that he was stood in front of the sofa. Crouching down so that he was eye level with the sleeping Betas he softly spoke. “Grimmjow, Renji. Come on guys wake up breakfast is ready” He watched as blue eyes fluttered open shortly followed by red ones. Grimm yawned and stretched out as Ren cracked his stiff neck. 

The feline removed himself from the red head and rose to his feet. He didn’t know what breakfast was but if it was that delicious smelling food then he was looking forward to it. He turned around to face the Soul Reaper on the sofa who’s back was turned and was rubbing his sore neck. Without saying a word he took a step closer to the red head and helped massage his neck. 

Renji almost yelped at the surprising touch but then instantly melted as those callous fingers worked the knots from his muscles. The blunette massages his neck for a few minutes and by the time he was finished his neck had never felt so loose. He turned to thank the feline who just smiled at him before they both followed the orange-haired teen out of the room and into the kitchen. 

As the three men entered the kitchen they noticed that Shiro had placed four plates full of eggs, bacon and toast on the dining table as well as a pot of coffee. Grimm and Renji exchanged a look before shrugging and sat down in the same seats as the night before. Both Betas let out a groan of pleasure as they tucked in to their food and Shiro beamed with pride. Ichigo just chucked and poured everyone a mug of coffee. 

They all ate vigorously and once their plates were scraped clean Renji offered to clean up as he hadn’t really done much to help. 

Once everything was cleaned and put away the four males went back into the living room to enjoy a little peace before Urahara returned. The all piled back on to the sofa, this time with Grimm and Renji in the middle and Ichigo and Shiro on either side. An hour passed and right on time the door bell to the clinic rag. Ichigo looked over his pack momentarily, happy to see that everyone seemed relaxed. He went to the front door and opened it, to his surprise he was greeted by not only Kisuke but also Chad and Uryuu. Damn that blond bastard. “Hey guys, I take it Kisuke asked you to join him this morning but didn’t tell you the reason why?” 

The shop keeper gave a sheepish smile but Uryuu was the first to answer. “He said that he told you we were joining you to rescue Orihime and we needed to talk about the journey, but knowing this guy that was only a part of what is going on” Chad just grunted and nodded.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and invited his two friends and Kisuke into the door way. “Kisuke why don’t you go into the living room, I’ll bring Chad and Uryuu up to speed on everything. Oh and I’ve told Shiro to beat the crap out of you if you piss either Grimm or Renji off” Urahara just hid under his hat and shuffled into the living room leaving the three teens in the hallway. Uryuu looked extremely confused at hearing Renji’s and two other names his didn’t recognize, Chad’s expression remained unchanged as he was the most used to the crazy shit that was just apart of Ichigo’s life. 

The teen did his best to explain the current situation, he told them about both Grimm and Renji’s pregnancy’s but didn’t go into too much detail. He spent a bit more time explaining about Shiro and how his hollow came into existence. By the time Ichigo had finished Uryuu looked ready to pass out and the only way to tell Chad was still processing the information was by his widened eyes and slack jaw. The orange-haired teen gave them a few minutes to process everything, he knew it was a lot to take in but he couldn’t wait too long as the others needed his attention too. 

Surprisingly Chad was the first to voice his opinion. “Its going to be strange working with an Arrancar but if he’s going to help us get Orihime back I will do what I can to keep him safe. I already trust Renji with my life and this Shiro is a part of you so I don’t have a problem with him” Ichigo smiled at one of his oldest friends and patted the taller teen on the shoulder in thanks. 

Uryuu on the other hand didn’t seem as happy with the situation. “I’m sorry Ichigo, but how do you know you can trust this Arrancar. How do you know that this isn’t another one of Aizen’s tricks and the moment we get to Hueco Mundo we’re going to be lead into a trap” It seemed the Quincy wasn’t questioning Renji’s situation but was having a hard time processing Grimmjow’s. 

Before Ichigo had chance to reply Kisuke appeared from behind him and jumped in. “I can answer that Uryuu. I have monitored Grimmjow and I can confirm he is defiantly pregnant. Also I can reassure you all that there are no traces of Aizen’s Kyoka Suigetsu on or around him. I have actually been able to create a wearable device that prevents his hypnotizing ability from affection who ever wears it”

The Quincy huffed at the shop keeper and turned his gaze away before he spoke “Ok I’ll go along with this for now but don’t expect me to trust him.”

Ichigo sighed and rolled his eyes at the dark haired teen, he had figured as much from the up tight Quincy. Hopefully he would get used to the idea that Grimm was an ally. The teen led the way back into the living room and noticed that Shiro and Renji were now sat on the floor while Grimmjow was laid out on the sofa with his shirt lifted and his slightly rounded stomach exposed with four little pads stuck to his skin. Kisuke must have put the monitor on his mate. Kisuke walked over to the sofa and picked up a little devise with a screen and read the data it was collecting. 

Grimmjow had watched as his mate left the room to get the front door and hadn’t been at all surprised when shortly after the blond shop keeper entered the room. But when he heard strange voices he couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. He would happily admit that since mating with Ichigo and having Renji then Shiro join the pack had greatly helped him get his instincts under control but there was still apart of his mind that would instantly remind him of what Aizen had done to him. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that Ichigo wouldn’t let anyone hurt him or the cubs. 

The shop keeper had approached the feline and pulled out the monitoring device to show him. Grimmjow had been surprised by how small the thing was and when it was explained to him how the device worked he was actually interested in seeing how the cubs were developing inside him. He had easily complied when he was instructed to lie down on the sofa and reveal his stomach, the four little pads were cold but other that that he couldn’t feel anything. He listened as Renji and Shiro began to talk about what it was like in Ichigo’s head. 

A short while later Kisuke left the room and he could just about hear the shop keeper speak to one of the new arrivals, a few minutes later he returned with his mate closely behind. They were followed in by two other males that Grimm vaguely remembered, one was extremely tall and tanned, the other was a lot shorter and looked like he had swallowed something sour. The feline took in a deep breath and had to force himself to remain relaxed, he was in quite a vulnerable position with his stomach exposed but he was reassured as Ichigo approached him and perched himself on the edge of the couch cushion. 

“Hey Grimm how are you doing?” The teen asked his mate and gently took a hold of his hand that was resting on his chest.

The blunette smiled up at the Alpha and linked their fingers together. “I’m ok, Kisuke told me I’m not allow to move for an hour or so until he has collected the data he needs. I’m hoping he can tell us how many cubs are in there” 

The teen mentally cursed himself. “Oh shit, I completely forgot to tell you. When we… you know, and I felt the cubs. I felt three. We are having three cubs Grimm”

The feline felt his chest fill with warmth, three perfect cubs were growing inside him. He wasn’t even bothered that his mate was only just telling him now. It was hard for him to decipher the individual signatures of the cubs so it hadn’t been possible for the feline to tell how many there were. “Three cubs that are going to be so strong. We’re gonna have our work cut out when they get bigger” 

Ichigo just smiled warmly and lent forward to place a light kiss on his mates forehead. He didn’t know if it was his Alpha instincts or if it was something else but the teen felt his chest swell with pride at having such a strong Beta carrying his cubs. They were brought out of their focus on each other by a loud coughing sound. 

Kisuke was looking at them with a soft expression. “I’m sorry to interrupt but we have a lot to discuss in regards to your up coming journey to Hueco Mundo” 

The Alpha turned to face the shop keeper and realized that everyone in the room was looking at them. Chad and Uryuu had joined Renji and Shiro on the floor while Kisuke was stood just to the side. Ichigo sighed and shifted his position so that he was full on facing the group but kept his fingers entwined with his Beta. “You're right Kisuke, Grimm we’re going to need your help in learning more about Hueco Mundo and what to expect when we get there” 

The following hours consisted of talking and planning. Grimmjow gave a very detailed description of the sands of Hueco Mundo along with the lay out of Aizen’s Palace Las Noches. While he was speaking Urahara was viciously scribbling notes. The feline even told them about the other Espada and their ranks. By the time he was finished everyone in the room looked like they were about to enter a cage full of hungry lions. 

Urahara informed the group that the Garganta would be complete within the next 36 hours. Between Ichigo, Kisuke and Uryuu, the three came up with a plan that would hopefully get them to Las Noches with out much hassle. They listed all the things they would need to take with them and things Kisuke needed to procure from the Soul Society. Chad interjected his opinion a few times and Renji added his own input from his experience as a Soul Reaper. For most of the discussion Shiro remained silent but would occasionally question if parts of the plan would work. By the time it was mid afternoon all seven males were mentally exhausted and agreed that the plan was as good as it was going to get. 

Uryuu excused himself from their meeting, saying he had somethings to do before their journey. Chad stayed and began chatting with Renji much about nothing. Shiro was looking exhausted and he put it down to being outside of Ichigo’s inner world for so long. The albino pulled his King aside from the group and asked to return for a while, the teen thanked his hollow and even went as far as to give the pale version of himself a brief embrace. Shiro had been wide eyed as he evaporated back into the sanctuary of the sideways world inside Ichigo’s head. 

When the teen returned to the living room he noticed that Grimm was looking just as tired as Shiro had. The poor feline had been kept awake for far too long and was in need of a nap. Ichigo approached Urahara and asked. “Hey Kisuke, have you collected enough data from the cubs yet?” 

The shop keeper grabbed his little monitor and read the data. “I believe I have. I’ll remove the sensors then I will tell you my findings” The blond quickly removed the pads from Grimmjow’s stomach and allowed the feline to finally sit up. He pressed a few buttons on the monitor and smiled. Both Ichigo and his mate were intently waiting for the results. “I’m more than pleased to say that the cubs have adapted and are growing at a rate almost equivalent to a Soul Reaper child, it is a little faster but not by much. I can confidently predict that they will be born in about 6 months, whether that is here or in Hueco Mundo. I am believe the same will be try for Renji and his child” 

Both Betas breathed out a sigh of relief, it was comforting to hear that their pregnancy’s wouldn’t be affected by the journey to a different realm. Grimmjow was the first to let out a loud yawn of exhaustion and like a ripple effect Renji yawned shortly after. Being pregnant was physically tiring and they had been awake for quite a while and had been involved in a lot of mental and emotionally draining conversations. It wasn’t a surprise to anyone in the room that they were ready for a nap. 

Chad was the one to suggest to Kisuke that it was time for them to leave the trio alone and offered to help the shop keeper in his store. The blond enthusiastically accepted the offer and bid farewell to the teen and his pack. Finally alone Ichigo let his shoulders slump and took in a deep breath. He turned to the two Betas that were almost asleep and decided that they were best going upstairs and resting on his bed. While the Betas were lightly dozing on the sofa he ran up to his room and quickly changed the bedding, making sure to remove any trace of his and Grimm’s mating the day before.

When he returned to the living room he gently woke the blunette and red head, he got them on their feet and ushered them up the stairs. Neither of the pregnant males put up much of a fight and followed him up the stairs. Grimmjow crawled onto the bed first and laid down with his back pressed against the wall. Renji joined him and rested facing the feline, curled up so that their legs were intertwined and there was only inches between them. Ichigo smiled down at them and pulled the clean comforter over them. 

The teen went back down stairs and flopped onto the sofa. Finally he was alone! He enjoyed being with Grimm and Ren but this was the first time in days since he had a moment to himself with out worrying about anything. His mate and Soul Reaper friend were safe and content, the Garganta would soon be ready, Chad and Uryuu knew about everything and supported him, somewhat in Uryuu’s case. The teen peered into his inner world and saw that Shiro was also asleep laying on his back on one of the buildings.

Ichigo flopped his head back against the sofa and let out a deep breath, he might as well join them, within minutes the orange-haired Soul Reaper dozed off, completely unware of the senkaimon opening on the other side of Karakura.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys, hope you are all enjoying this fic so far.
> 
> A huge thank you to everyone who has left Kudos and comments. I'm absolutely rubbish at replying to comments but please know I read them all and appreciate each one. 
> 
> A big thank you to BleachFan who has commented on every chapter and makes me smile every time. 
> 
> RRL


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry it's taken me a while to update, unfortunately, I've not been well. I have been quarantined to my bed with suspected Covid (not been able to get a test so don't know for sure) I'm on the mend at the moment and am hoping to be back to full strength soon. 
> 
> Hope everyone is keeping safe, it's a horrible time the world is facing at the moment and we need to stay strong and do what we can to keep our selves and those we care for safe. I'm sending a huge thank you to all the health and care workers out there fighting to save the lives of those who are badly affected by the virus. 
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter.

The white captains haori swished with the wind as the nobles feet touched the concrete floor. Light grey eyes looked around at his surroundings and took in the trees and flowers that filled the area. Captain Byakuya Kuchiki stood as regal as always as he reached out in search of a familiar reiatsu signature and sighed when he was unable to locate it. He had come to the Living World to find his missing Lieutenant. Renji had disappeared several days ago and the captain had been informed by the Head Captain that if the redhead did not return within 24 hours with a good explanation for his absence then he would be classed as absent without leave and would receive a court-martial and imprisonment. 

Byakuya had volunteered to find his missing subordinate and had sworn that he would judge his Lieutenant accordingly. He secretly hoped that Renji had a very good reason to be gone for so long and that he could return with the redhead and not have to face punishment. The noble watched for a few moments as unsuspecting humans walked passed him before he made his way to begin his search. He gathered his best bet at finding the missing redhead would be to ask the Substitute Soul Reaper if he had been in contact with him. It wouldn’t be hard to locate Ichigo Kurosaki as Rukia had regularly informed him of her time living with teen. 

It took him about half an hour of roaming the streets of Karakura before he finally felt the strong and familiar spiritual pressure of the orange-haired Substitute. Following his senses, Byakuya came across the clinic that had the large sign that bore Kurosaki in large kanji. As he approached closer to the building he finally picked up on the reiatsu he had been searching for, Renji was here but for some reason, his spiritual energy was a lot weaker than usual. The captain also felt the reiatsu of an unfamiliar being, he couldn’t quite figure it out but he was sure there was a resemblance to a hollows. Deciding it would be best if he announced his presence first before acting upon his discovery. The captain walked up to the front door to the clinic and loudly rapped his knuckles against the firm wood. 

Ichigo had been lightly dozing on the sofa before he jolted awake at the sound of loud knocking. He looked around the room and instinctively reached out through the mate bond to sense his Beta, he was relieved when he felt that Grimmjow was still relaxed in sleep. The teen turned his attention back to the sound that woke him up as the knocking repeated from the front door. Ichigo looked at the clock hung on the wall and realized it was 7 pm, who the hell was knocking on his door at this time? Since he had never been the best at sensing reiatsu it didn’t even cross his mind to try. 

Rising from the sofa the teen strode through the living room and out into the hallway to the front door. He abruptly unlocked it and yanked the door handle, Ichigo’s heart dropped into his stomach when he saw who was stood outside the now open doorway. Shit, Shit, SHIT! Why the hell was Byakuya here? Did he know about Renji? Was he here to take him away? The teen nearly snarled at the idea, Renji might not be his Beta but he was apart of his pack and he would fight tooth and nail to protect him. Before he could get his words out the noble beat him to it. 

“Kurosaki, I apologize for my unannounced arrival but I need to speak with you and my lieutenant” Byakuya remained as stoic as ever but attempted to make himself seem a little more relaxed. He didn’t want to put the teen on edge and possibly attack, the noble was currently under the restraints of genteikaijo and even though he would be able to defend himself against Ichigo, he would greatly struggle. 

Ichigo’s mind was running overtime and he didn’t know what to do. He could deny the nobles request but then he could attract the attention of the whole Gotei 13 and that wouldn’t end well for anyone. His only other option was to invite the Captain in and listen to what he had to say if Byakuya tried anything at least he could confidently say he could best him in a fight. The teen stepped aside and said. “Very well, I’ll listen to what you have to say but Renji is not coming near you until we have spoken” 

Byakuya was a little surprised by the Substitutes attitude but nodded his head and followed the teen inside. He was led into a cosy room that was simply decorated and waited for further instruction. Ichigo gestured to a single plush chair and he sat himself down gracefully, crossing his legs right over left. The orange-haired Substitute sat down on the long sofa, obviously not even bothering to offer a polite cup of tea. 

The teen lent forward from his seated position and looked the noble directly in the eyes. “I suggest you tell me why your here soon, because I’m not in a good mood right now” Just to emphasize his seriousness Ichigo pulled out his Soul Reaper badge from his pocket and began to twirl it around his finger. 

It seemed that the teen was ready to attack should he deem the nobles presence a threat. Byakuya sighed and got straight to the point. “I’m here to discover the reasons as to why Renji disappeared from the Soul Society. Since he has been gone from duty for several days the Head Captain is ready to announce him as absent without leave, if that happens then Renji will be arrested and imprisoned. I was able to convince Yamamoto to give me 24 hours to find and return with him. If I do so then this little incident will be forgotten” 

Ichigo stared wide-eyed at the Captain, so if Byakuya didn’t return with Renji with in the next 24 hours then they would have the whole of the Gotei 13 hunting for the red head. Fuck now what did he do? He couldn’t just blurt out the reason why the Renji had run away in the first place. Damn it all. He never thought he would say this but the sooner they got to Hueco Mundo the better. The teen took in a deep breath and spoke sternly. “I appreciate your honesty Byakuya but I can’t let you take Renji back to the Soul Society. Stay here and I will go and talk to him if you do anything that stresses him out you won’t leave here alive” Ichigo didn’t bother to give the noble another look before he rose from the sofa and made his way upstairs. 

Once he reached the bedroom the teen pushed the door open and instantly felt guilty that he had to wake the sleeping Betas that were adorably cuddled together. Slowly he approached the bed and took a closer look, at some point Grimmjow had wrapped his arms around Renji, the tattooed man’s head was tucked under the felines chin and he could hear the soft purring coming from his mate. Ichigo sighed sadly and crouched down at the side of the bed. “Renji. You need to wake up. We have a problem” 

The redhead groaned unhappily and the feline holding him let out a low growl of disapproval at being woken. Ichigo reached out with both hands and gently rubbed Grimm’s and Renji’s arms. “Come on guys, I need you both to get up, we have a serious problem downstairs” 

At hearing there was a problem Grimmjow was the first to become fully alert. The feline stretched out, disturbing Renji who was now processing the teen's words. Both Betas sat up and looked at the Substitute Soul Reaper who had a worried expression on his face. The blunette felt his concern through their bond and asked. “Ichi what's going on?” 

The teen watched as the pregnant males finally fully awoke and took in a deep breath and moved closer to Renji, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder. “Ren, I don’t want you to panic. Whatever happens, I’m going to protect you, Shiro will as well. We have an unwelcome visitor in the living room, I only invited him in because I didn’t have much choice. Byakuya is here” 

At hearing his Captains name, Renji tensed and his red eyes went wide in shock. Why the hell was Byakuya here?! He felt his muscles start to tremble in fear and all the possible reasons ran through his head, all of them ending with the loss of his child. “No! He can’t! I won’t let him take it away from me!” 

Ichigo watched as Grimm embraced the shaking redhead and he instinctively began to rumble his chest trying to comfort the distressed Soul Reaper. “Renji, listen to me. Byakuya has no idea about the baby. He’s told me the reason he is here, is to protect you from old man Yama. The Head Captain wants to announce you as absent with out leave and arrest you for a court-martial. Byakuya wants to take you back to the Soul Society to prevent that from happening. He has said he wished to talk to you. But only if you want to” 

Renji digested the information and he was shocked that his captain had personally come to the Living World in an attempt to save him from the Head Captains wrath. It wasn’t uncommon for Byakuya to help his subordinates but he wouldn’t go out of his way to do so. The redhead was able to calm a little and huddled closer to the blunettes embrace. “I will talk to him but I can’t go back there with him” 

Ichigo nodded his head and quickly turned his attention inwards and spoke to Shiro who was still dozing on his building. ‘ _Shi wake up, I need you out here. Byakuya here and wants to talk to Renji_ _’_ _._ The hollow instantly jerked awake and didn’t bother to speak as he pulled himself from the inner world. Both Grimmjow and Renji were a little shocked as they watched the black smoke appear from Ichigo’s back and suddenly mold into Shiro pale form. 

**“What do ya want me ta do King,”** The hollow asked as he stretched his stiff muscles. 

The teen looked into his hollows golden eyes and said. “I need you to stay up here with Grimm and protect him. I don’t think anything will go wrong but I need you ready in case it does. Ren, I’ll be with you the whole time and if you have had enough just let me know and I will make him leave ok?” Ichigo received nods from all of them and he helps the redhead from the bed. Renji followed him tentatively down the stairs and into the living room. When they entered the teen was slightly released to see that the captain still remained seated where he had left him. 

Byakuya was beginning to get impatient when he heard two sets of footsteps descending the stairs. He looked in the direction of the door way and watched as Ichigo entered the room shortly followed by a timid looking Renji. Grey eyes narrowed at the sight of his lieutenant, in all the time he had known Abarai the man had always been fierce and confident but now he looked like a frightened puppy. What the hell had happed to the tattooed man for him to be so unlike himself. Remaining quiet the noble waited until Kurosaki and Renji to sit down on the sofa, and they were far to close for his liking. Once the younger men were seated Byakuya softly spoke. “Hello Renji, I’m glad to see you are looking well” 

Ichigo almost snorted at that comment but held himself back, the last thing Renji needed was for him to be acting like an ass. The teen turned to his friend and tried to give him a reassuring look but the redhead remained tense and kept his gaze to the floor. Sighing loudly he turned to address the noble. “Renji hasn’t been feeling very well recently, I suggest you tell him why you came here before I kick you out” 

Byakuya didn’t like how Kurosaki was talking to him or how Renji was acting so subdued. Had the Substitute done something to his lieutenant that was causing this strange behaviour? The noble frowned but proceeded as requested. He informed the tattooed man exactly what was occurring in the Soul Society and the reason as to why he had travelled here to the Living World to collect him. “As you can see Renji, it’s in your best interest to return with me to the Soul Society as soon as possible. I’m sure if you explain that the reason as to your absence was this illness then there will be no further problems, you would also be in better hands to aid your recovery in the Squad 4 barracks” 

As he listened to his captain, Renji was a little surprised that his absence had caused such a commotion but he guessed after Rukia’s disappearance the Head Captain was a lot stricter on those that travelled between the realms. When Byakuya suggested that he return with him, the redhead felt a shiver run down his spine. There was no way he could return now not in his condition, and not after promising Ichigo that he would join him to Hueco Mundo. “I-I’m sorry Captain but I c-can’t return with you” his voice was shakier than he would have liked but he was slightly proud that he had got the words out at all. 

There was a light thud as Byakuya abruptly rose to his feet and flared his reiatsu in anger causing Renji to flinch back in fear and Ichigo to rise as well and stand in front of the trembling redhead. The Captain was now convinced that Kurosaki was somehow manipulating his subordinate and he needed to put a stop to this now. “I didn’t want to have to do this but it looks like I have no choice. I don’t know what Kurosaki has don’t to you Renji but I can’t allow you to remain here” 

Ichigo didn’t hesitate to slam his badge to his chest and exit his body, in a split second he was stood in his black Shihakusho and had his hand wrapped around Zangetsu hilt ready to draw his blade. He met Byakuya’s eyes and growled. “I suggest you stand down Byakuya. I haven’t done anything to Renji, he came to me for help and protection that is all” 

Renji curled up into a ball on the sofa and wrapped his arms around his middle protectively. This is what he had feared most and he was powerless to do anything about it, he greatly regretted not bringing Zabimaru with him. The redhead couldn’t even find the strength to speak. 

The noble gripped Senbonzakura’s hilt and took a step forward, he couldn’t believe the Substitutes words. There was no possible reason why Renji would turn to the teen before coming to him for help. Surely this must be a lie, Kurosaki was somehow controlling his lieutenant and was influencing Renji’s behaviour. “Lies, I swear I won’t let this manipulation continue. Renji is coming with me even if I have to drag him back” 

The moment the captain drew his Zanpakuto, Ichigo did the same. As the white ribbon that surrounded Zangetsu’s huge blade unfurled it clashed with the slimmer and more delicate Sanbonzakura. Both men pressed against the others blade and glared. Byakuya was quickly trying to think of his next move, just as he released his right hand and pointed his finger at the teen's chest in preparation to perform Hado 4 Byakurai. 

The quivering lieutenant lifted his head to see what was happening. It only took him a split second to realize what Byakuya was about to do and couldn’t restrain himself from shouting. “Captain stop! Please Byakuya, I-I…I’m pregnant! That’s why I can’t go with you!” 

Byakuya’s grey eyes widened and he lost his grip on his Zanpakuto, Senbonzakura landed on the ground with a clatter. The captain was well aware of male souls ability to conceive, a relative of his had been disgraced over fifty years ago for laying with a male and being impregnated. The noble was overcome by a mixture of emotions, the first he felt was anger, he was angry that the one man he could say he felt affection for had become pregnant with this Substitutes child. That anger was quickly followed by jealously for the exact same reason. 

This revelation also complicated matters greatly. It was highly frowned upon in the Gotei 13 for any of the Soul Reapers to be impregnated and it was even more so for males. This was because a Soul Reapers duty was to be completely dedicated to the Soul Society, and bareing a child ment that their focus and convictions would completely change. It also ment an increase in an already over crouded society. Any female Soul Reaper that became pregnant would be immediately dismissed from duty, in the rare case that a male became pregnant they tended to suffer the same fate but they would be relegated to the farthest rukongai. As much as Byakuya hate this situation he couldn’t bear the thought of Renji being humiliated in front of the whole Gotei 13 before being sent away to the lowest slums in the Soul Society. 

The teen had startled slightly at hearing the redheads shout and he turned to see his distressed packmate. Renji was shaking and looked like he was ready to pass out. Ichigo mentally cursed and slipped Zangetsu back into its cloth and rested it on the floor before he slowly knelt down beside the sofa. “Ren, it’s ok. Take a deep breath that’s it. You didn’t need to do that I could have handled him” 

Renji shook his head, if Byakuya had used his Byakurai at that close range then Ichigo would have been knocked out. The redhead focused on calming his breathing and ignored his captains look of pure shock. Just as he felt ready to speak again a loud hiss from the living room doorway drew their attention. As the lieutenant looked over he almost cursed at the sight of Grimmjow growling at his captain and being restrained by Shiro. 

Ichigo cursed loudly, rose from the floor and flash stepped over to his snarling mate and hollow who was looking at him apologetically. **“Sorry King, he felt you starting to fight and** **ran out of the bedroom before I could stop him”**. 

The teen sighed and wrapped his arms around Grimmjow’s upper body and rumbled his chest. “Grimm calm down. It won’t do the cubs any good you getting all worked up like this” He watched as his mate turned from snarling panther to calm kitty in a matter of seconds. He tightened his grip on his Beta and rose his right hand to pet his hair. “That’s it, well-done babe. Come on I think Renji needs you to comfort him” He looked over to Shiro as whispered to his hollow. “Keep an eye on Byakuya. If it looks like he’s gonna attack, take him out” Shiro grinned at him sadistically. 

Byakuya was staring in bafflement as two strangers entered the room. His first instinct at being growled at by the blue-haired Arrancar was to reach for his sword but had stopped himself when Kurosaki had stopped the taller man from attacking. The captain had to take a step back when he heard the Substitute say the word cubs, so this hollow was pregnant as well? What the hell was going on here? Was Kurosaki starting a harem? 

Before he had a chance to speak, Ichigo and the blunette moved past him and back to the sofa where Renji was still curled in on himself. He watched in slight amazement as the hollow sat next to the redhead and Renji instantly leaned against the blue-haired man who wrapped his arms around his lieutenant. A shiver ran down the nobles spine as he felt a murderous glare baring into him, he risked a glance to the side and wished he hadn’t when he noticed a pale copy of Kurosaki staring at him intently, almost daring him to make a wrong move. 

Renji was extremely relieved when Grimm joined him on the sofa and instinctively moved to cuddle against the felines side, he still didn’t know why the other Betas presence was so comforting but he wasn’t going to complain. He felt his muscles starting to relax when the blunette began to softly purr and petted his long hair. Let out a sigh as he was enveloped in the feeling of safety with his pack, even Byakuya presence couldn’t take this from him. 

Ichigo waited a moment as his mate comforted Renji and once he was confident the two were relaxed as they could be he turned to face the noble. He smile when he realized Shiro was giving Byakuya a death glare and had the man on edge. The teen moved around the coffee table that had somehow remained in one piece during the scuffle and stopped just a few feet in front of the noble. “I understand you have questions but before I tell you anything you have to swear to listen to everything before you make any judgements” 

The Captain glanced at the murderous hollow version of Kurosaki a second time and realized he didn’t have much of a choice. Byakuya sighed, there was one thing he needed to know before he listened to any other explanation. “Very well but I would like one question answering beforehand. How long have you and Renji been hiding your relationship?” 

Both Ichigo and Renji went wide-eyed at the nobles question. The redhead quickly turned to face his Captain and blurted out. “Captain! Me and Ichigo have never been anything other than a friend” Then it finally sunk in, Byakuya thought his baby was Ichigo’s, he hadn’t figured out the truth. A small part of him wanted to run with the lie but he knew that would do more damage than good. He took in a deep breath and prepared himself to reveal the truth. “Byakuya, the child isn’t Ichigo’s it's yours” the words came out just above a whisper and the redhead turned to hide his face against Grimmjow’s chest. 

At that moment Byakuya’s world shattered around him. He had to take a moment to process Renji’s words, this meant that their night together in the office had resulted in the creation of a new life that now dwelled inside his lieutenant's stomach. The noble stumbled back a few steps until the backs of his legs met the chair and he sank down onto it. He thought back to his wife Hisana who had died due to his selfishness of wanting children of their own and instantly felt a tightness grip his chest, what if the same fate claimed Renji? He couldn’t bear losing another person he loved to his inability to protect them. 

It was that thought that steeled his resolve, he would fight every law in order to keep Renji and his child safe from harm. His role as Captain and Head of the Kuchiki clan suddenly became the least important things in his life. Byakuya looked up at the teen that was staring at him with a confused expression. Everyone else in the room was also looking at him expectantly. He would obviously need to convince this strange group that he was true to his intentions of protecting his lieutenant and child. Slowly the noble rose for his chair and took a few steps to stand in front of Kurosaki. “I wish to apologize for my earlier actions, I acted shamefully. But now that I know the truth I give my word that I will do everything within my power to protect Renji and my child that he carries” 

Ichigo gave the captain a sceptical look if he knew anything about Byakuya Kuchiki it was that the man never gave his word lightly. He turned to glance at Renji who was staring at the noble with amazement and affection written all over his face, even Grimmjow looked as though he believed the man. Letting out a deep sigh he extended out his hand. “Very well, there is a lot you need to know if you wish to join us” The teen turned to Shiro who was still stood protectively in the doorway. “Shi, can you make some tea? I’m going to order take away” 

In the hours that followed Ichigo revealed everything to Byakuya who listened intently. The noble didn’t seem impressed with the idea of taking two pregnant males to Hueco Mundo but he kept his opinion to himself. Once he had learned about the events of the last few days the captain agreed to join them in their rescue mission. He knew he would have to return to the soul society briefly before the trip to put the Gotei 13 off hunting their rescue party and retrieve Renji’s Zanpakuto. 

By the time everyone had finished eating, thankfully there were no dishes that needed washing, it was late into the night. Shiro had returned to Ichigo’s inner world saying that the small clinic was crowded enough without him taking up too much room. Grimm was beyond exhausted and was almost asleep standing, while his mate was now seated on the sofa and Byakuya had returned to the chair the teen pulled Renji to one side. “Renji I need to ask where you wanna sleep tonight. If you want to stay with me and Grimm that’s fine but if you want to stay with Byakuya I can set up the futon in Karin and Yuzu’s room” 

The redhead pondered the teen's offer for a moment, if he was being honest he wanted to stay with his captain. Since he had heard Byakuya say that he would protect him and their child a small spark of hope and been lit within him. But he knew that they had a lot to discuss before they could even think about being more intimate. Renji sighed. “I’ll stay with you and Grimm if that’s ok. It’s still too early for me and Byakuya to be spending the night together” 

Ichigo nodded and went to discuss the nights sleeping arrangement to the noble. Byakuya didn’t give away that he was a little disheartened that Renji would be with the teen and his mate. The Captain agreed to sleep in the spare room. The orange-haired teen disappeared and quickly set up the spare futon in the girl's room for the noble. By the time he returned Grimmjow had completely passed out and was impossible to rouse. With a bit of clever manoeuvring, he was able to get the Beta onto his back and carried him up the stairs, Renji followed close behind to make sure the teen didn’t drop the feline. 

Byakuya went to the room he would be spending the night in after bidding them good night. Once Ichigo had wrestled Grimmjow’s dead weight into his bedroom and onto his bed, he let out a loud sigh. Renji just chuckled from behind him and removed his outer robe before taking Grimm’s usual place on the bed against the wall. The feline rolled in search of warmth and snuggled up to the redhead for a moment before Ichigo stripping his own shirt off and join the Betas on the bed, pressing his chest against the blunettes back. It only took a matter of minutes before two of them had fallen into a deep sleep. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone 
> 
> I'm feeling a lot better but I'm still stuck inside my bedroom. Thank you to everyone who commented and left Kudos for my last chapter. YAY! Byakuya finally knows about Renji’s condition, but they still have a long way to go.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this new chapter it's my longest one yet and it gets a little steamy =///=.
> 
> RRL x

( _Every being possesses a soul core. Humans, Soul Reapers, Hollows, Quincy, Vizards and Arrancar all have one. A soul core is the origin of each beings spiritual energy and power and differ slightly depending on the race. All cores possess several layers of energy some more than others, the center is the individual essence that contains the beings personality, the outer layers consist of different forms of power._

_A Soul Reapers core is made up of their center surrounded by the power of their Zanpakuto and their own unique power, the size of this power can increase to great levels through hard training and endurance._

_A low level hollows core is simply made from the center that belonged to the human it formed from that is surrounded by the power it gained by consuming human souls. A Simple Gillian’s core is raw power and the center will be so small that it is almost none existent. Any Gillian that has a particularly strong personality attached to its core will become the center and will absorb the other hollows that it is comprised of. When these Gillian consume other hollows a layer of power that is made up of the remnants of those it has eaten will form around the center, this will continue to grow as more are consumed and they evolve into Adjuchas._

_Arrancar that have been evolved by the Hogyoku core’s will have several changers to their core, the center enlarges and their personalities become more prominent, they retain the remnants of all other hollows they have consumed and develop a new layer that contains the power of their release form._

_Soul Reapers are taught to use their natural ability to sense reishi as a way to read a beings soul core. As all things that require study some Soul Reapers develop the skill to read cores layer by layer while others may only be able to read the over all size of it)_

It was early morning when Ichigo woke to the sound of loud purring and a heavy weight on his chest. When he opened his eyes he was greeted by a mass of blue and the scent of sweat. At some point during the night Grimmjow had maneuvered himself so that his entire body was on top of the teens with his head tucked under his mates chin. The Alpha smiled down at his Beta and raised his hand to pet the felines sweaty hair. It finally occurred to him that neither of them had showered for the last few days and were starting to smell. He groaned, he really didn’t want to move but they only had 12 hours until they were due to travel to Hueco Mundo and they probably wouldn’t get the chance of a decent shower for quite a while. The teen continued to pet the blunettes hair and softly whispered into his ear. “Grimm, wake up babe. We need to get cleaned up” 

Teal eyes fluttered open and Grimmjow looked up to meet his mates gaze. He let out a gentle purr and nuzzled his cheek against the teens chest, he couldn’t remember the last time he woke feeling so content and safe. The felines chest filled with warmth as he felt Ichigo sending his own feelings of affection through their mate bond. Purring louder the blunette spoke up to the Alpha. “Do we have to, I’m really comfy”

Letting out a light snort Ichigo kissed Grimm’s blue locks before answering “Yes we do, we’re staring to smell like my dad’s dirty socks and trust me they smell awful. Come on” He reached down an patted his mate on his backside.

Grimmjow groaned but forced himself to move. He pushed himself up and climbed off the bed, looking over he noticed that the red head was still in a deep sleep facing the wall. Once Ichigo had joined him the feline carefully pulled to comforter so that it would keep his fellow Beta warm. He turned to face his mate who was smiling at him with an out stretched hand. Grimm took the offered hand and was led out of the room and down the hallway to the large bathroom, the blunette had been in here before when he had needed to relieve his bladder which he had been doing a lot more than he cared to admit. 

Once Ichigo had his mate it the bathroom he didn’t hesitate to quickly strip out of his clothes, he had been wearing them for far to long. He turned to the blunette who was eyeing him like he was a piece of fine meat. The teen smirked, although he had just been intending to get clean he certainly wouldn’t deny his Beta if he wanted to mate once again. Taking a slight step closer to the blunette the Substitute Soul Reaper helped him out of his borrowed pink shirt and gray sweats. 

The feline had to hold himself back from letting out earth shaking growl at seeing his Alphas glorious naked body standing before him. Once the teen had striped him of his own clothing, he was guided backwards into the large standing shower. His mate turned on the shower head and warm water rained over them before looking him straight in the eye. Grimm instantly understood the silent question and answered by taking a step closer to Ichigo, pressing their muscular chest together and purred as he claimed the teens rosy pink lips in a passionate kiss. 

Ichigo let out a deep rumble from his chest and wrapped his arms around his mates back, running his fingers over taunt muscle and feeling every fiber of the taller mans being. He deepened the kiss and lowered his hands further to kneed at the felines firm ass cheeks, pulling a groan of pleasure from the blunettes throat. Fuck this man was perfection incarnate. 

At his mate assault on his rear Grimmjow couldn’t help but thrust his hips forward, grind his growing erection against his mates. Shivers ran up his body at the amazing skin on skin contact. The blunette never thought he could be so needy, as an Adjuchas he only had a few sexual encounters and even fewer as an Arrancar, but being with Ichigo was a million times greater that anything he had experienced so far. As they battled with their tongues for a few minutes longer before an idea popped in to the felines head. 

The orange-haired teen slowly broke their deep kiss when the need to breath became over whelming. But before Ichigo could make his next move he was roughly gripped by the shoulders and pushed back against the tiled wall underneath the stream of water. The teen looked at his mate in confusion but was met by a feral grin that he had so greatly missed. Grimm leaned forward and began kissing and nipping at the tender flesh of his throat then slowly made his way further down. The feline paid extra attention to his chest and stomach before he ended up on his knees before the Alpha. Ichigo’s hard cock jolted at the sight in front of him. 

Grimmjow ran his hands over his Alphas thick thighs as he looked up into lust glazed honey brown eyes. Ichigo let out a low groan as he moved his nimble fingers to his hard length and gripped it lightly. His grin widened as he felt the teen shudder and finally put his plan into motion, taking in a deep breath the blunette liked his lips before opening his mouth wide and engulfed the teens cock in his mouth. 

The orange-haired teens eyes almost rolled back into his skull as his erection was swallowed whole. He felt the tip of his dick reach the back of Grimm’s throat and then went even further, the blunettes plush lips met his groin. How the hell was Grimmjow deep throating him so easily. Ichigo’s head fell back against the cool tiles with a light thud, his right hand reached out and grasped ahold of the felines blue locks lightly.

Swallowing roughly around the thick cock in his mouth Grimm moaned as the Alpha tightened his grip in his hair. He was extremely glad that he didn’t have a gag reflex as head of the teens length slipped past the back of his throat and half way down his esophagus, completely preventing him from breathing. Grimm dug his claws into Ichigo’s thigh as a sign he needed air and the grip on his hair released just enough for him to pull back enough to take in a deep breath. 

They continued this motion for several long minutes until the Alpha growled and used his grip in his mates hair to get the man to release his aching cock and encouraged him back to his feet. Ichigo pressed their bodies together and grinded against the blunettes own hard length. “Grimm, can we… I want you so bad”  
As the rough words left his lips Grimmjow purred deep from his chest and leaned forward to claim the teens lips as his answer. Ichigo groaned before he deepened the kiss for a moment before he pulled away and took the felines shoulders in his hands and gently turned the Beta around so that he was facing the tiled wall. 

Instinctively Grimmjow reached out and rested hands on the wall and leaned forward, exposing his back and rear to his mate. He let out a high pitched whine when the Alpha behind him pressed his chest firmly against his back and began to nibble at his neck and shoulder. Strong hands massaged his lower spine for a few minutes before moving lower and firmly grip his ass cheeks. The feline moaned in pleasure and tilted his hips to push his backside against the teens grasp and against his raging hard length pulling a growl from his Alpha. 

Ichigo grins at his Betas inviting body language and let’s go of the muscled ass and reached over to the lotions that rested on the small shelf in the corner. He picks up a small bottle of body lotion and squirts a large blob onto his right hand. “You sure you want to do this Grimm?” The teen asks softly.

Grimmjow rolls his blue eyes and groans. “If I didn’t, do you think I would be in this position dumbass? Just get on with it Alpha, before I do it myself” The feline mockingly extends the word Alpha and receives a playful smack on his ass making him huff out a chuckle.

The teen grins and puts the lotion back onto the shelf for later and gives his Beta a light spank on his ass for his cockiness. Ichigo then lowers his lubed up hand along the base of Grimmjow’s spine, down his ass crack and between his cheeks until he finds the small puckered entrance. Carefully he inserts his middle finger and angles it perfectly to locate his mates prostrate and causes the blunette to let out a loud moan. The Alpha smirks as he leans over his mates shoulder and begins nipping on the flesh of the blunettes throat, his finger continues to assault the little bundle of nerves inside Grimmjow’s tight passage. 

The felines legs begin to shiver as electric pleasure runs threw every nerve ending. Tilting his head back to rest against the teens shoulder, he gives Ichigo better access to his neck. The Alpha practically purrs in appreciation of the action and adds a second finger into him as a reward. Grimmjow bites his bottom lip to keep himself from shouting out. The third finger quickly follows and those sinfully long fingers start to stretch out his inner walls in preparation of what was yet to come and the blunette shivered in anticipation. 

By the time Ichigo thought his mate was thoroughly stretched, the felines neck was covered in small bruises. The teen gave a slightly harder bite over the mating mark that caused the blunette to quiver and thrust his hip backwards. The Alpha released his jaw at the same time as he removed his fingers and grinned as Grimmjow let out a whine of disappointment. “Shhh, its ok babe. Just need to slick my cock then it’s all yours”. 

Grimmjow purred in approval and watched through lust hazed blue eyes as the Alpha grabbed the small bottle of lotion once again, he heard the pop of the cap and a few slick sounds before the bottle was returned to its place. The feline braced his arms against the wall as he felt his Alphas hard length pressing between his cheeks and gasped as it slowly breached his entrance and into his tight channel. Fuck he loved how much the Alpha filled him up. Once he felt the teens hips meet his backside he let out a content sigh and turned his head to whisper into his mates ear. “Alpha, please fuck me”

A deep growl rumbled from Ichigo’s chest at the Betas words and he had to fight himself from loosing all control and just pounding his mate into the bathroom wall. He slowly withdrew a few inches, purely to tease the feline who let out a low growl in protest. The teen repeated the action several more times making Grimm reach back with one hand and claw at any flesh he could dig his fingers into. Just as the feline was about to voice his displeasure the Alpha pulled out until just the tip of his cock was buried inside the hot channel before he snapped his hips forward and drove in hard straight into the bundle of nerves. 

The feline let out a howl at the unexpected assault on his prostrate, he felt like he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Ichigo’s kept the pace slow and hard, each thrust spearing him wide open and directed at that spot. Grimmjow’s claws scraped at the tiles and his legs barely kept him standing as he let himself be overwhelmed with pleasure. His mind went blank and his all his senses were absorbing his Alpha, his touch, his scent and that amazing feeling of being filled. 

Ichigo was in pure bliss as his mates hot passage milked his hard cock all the way from tip to base with every hard thrust. This was now his favorite thing in the world, being so close to his Beta, surrounding him and being inside him. Everything about this felt right, he didn’t know if it was the bond or something more but at this moment the only thing in the world that mattered was the feline and his pleasure. The teen picked up the pace and began moving his hips faster, driving his erection deeper into Grimmjow’s rear.

The blunette could only let out a small whimper as his inner walls were brutally pounded. The teens bruising grip on his hips tightened momentarily before he released one hand and reached around to wrap nimble fingerers around the felines own weeping length and began to stroke him in time with those punishingly hard thrusts. It only took several minutes before Grimmjow yowled in pleasure and came hard, cum splattering the tiled wall in waves. 

Before his mate could collapse Ichigo wrapped his arms around the felines torso and pulled him so that his back rested against the teens sun kissed chest. The Alpha cantered his hips upwards in uneven thrusts and chased his own release. A few hard thrusts later had the shorter male growling loudly as he emptied his seed inside his mate. Ichigo rested his head between Grimm’s shoulder blades and was gasping for air. After a few minutes of catching his breath, the teen eased his now softened member out of the blunette and gently maneuvered his dazed mate to turn around and face him. 

Grimmjow’s limbs could barely support him and his mind was completely spaced as he felt himself being repositioned. He slightly opened his eyes and with blurry vision realized that he was now resting against his mates chest with the teen holding him up with one arm wrapped around his lower back. The feline closed his eyes again and rested his head against Ichigo’s broad shoulder and let his thoughts drift as his Alpha took care of him. 

A wide smile donned the teens lips as he felt the blunette go completely lax against his body. He had one arm tightly holding Grimm to his chest and with the other he reached to detach the shower head from the wall. He quickly rinsed away the sweat and cum from his mates skin before placing it back in its stand, with a bit of difficulty he managed to soap up a cloth and wipe himself and the sleepy feline down as best as he could. “Grimm can you stand for a moment? I need to wash our hair. You can still lean against me but I can’t hold you up” 

One teal eye cracked open and Grimmjow groaned slightly as he nodded his head, having a few minutes to rest had given him just enough strength in his legs to hold his weight but he was sure if Ichigo wasn’t supporting him to stay up right he would be stumbling. He closes his eyes again as he felt the Alpha grab something from the shelf, he heard a squirt followed by the scent of something extremely sweet. Suddenly the teens fingers were in his wet hair and was massaging his scalp which caused the feline to let out a sigh of contentment. 

Ichigo rolled his eyes as Grimm turned his head into the hands that were working shampoo into his blue locks. Once he deemed the felines hair thoroughly clean, the teen grabbed the shower head again and rinsed the bubbles from his mates hair and body. While the blunette was still leaning against him the Alpha quickly shampooed his own hair before washing away the sweet smelling bubbles from himself. 

Now that they were both clean and stated Ichigo guided a sleepy Grimmjow out of the shower, not caring if they were dripping all over the floor, and had him perch against the edge of the bathtub. He quickly grabbed two of the fluffiest towels from the heating rack and wrapped one around the blunettes middle and the other was draped over his head. The feline purred lightly as the teen rubbed his hair and body dry. Ichigo used the one of the towels to dry himself off as well before tying it around his waist. He gently pulled Grimm back on to his feet and did the same with the other towel. “Come on let’s get dresses and wake Renji and Byakuya up for breakfast, you can have a nap on the sofa after that”

The fog that covered the felines mind was staring to lift and he nodded his head. Grimmjow followed his mate from the bathroom, back to the bedroom and chuckled when he laid his eyes upon the still sleeping red head. Renji had completely cocooned himself in the comforter so all that was sticking out was spikes of red hair, he really looked like a pineapple. He stood in the middle of the room as Ichigo quietly searched his wardrobe for clean clothes for them both. Thankfully this time the teen pulled out a respectable out fit of black sweat pants and a gray vest top. The blunette quickly dropped the towel and slipped the new clothes on, the pants were a little short on him but were stretchy enough to comfortably fit around his now slightly swollen middle. 

The orange-haired teen dress in his own outfit, a red t-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans, and turned to face his mate. “Can you wake Renji? I’ll go and see if Byakuya is up yet” Ichigo received a small nod from the feline as an answer, before he left the room he placed a light kiss on his Betas lips and chuckled at the light blush that covered the blunettes cheeks. 

Ichigo walked out of his room and down the short hall way and stopped outside of the door that lead to his sisters shared bedroom. He lightly knocked on the door and waited a few minutes, when he didn’t receive an answer he knocked again only a lot louder. Once again there was no reply and the teen rolled his eyes and twisted the door handle and pushed open the door. When he stepped inside he noticed that the borrowed futon was neatly rolled up with a note resting on top. Letting out a sigh the Substitute took a few steps and picked up the note written in perfect kanji.

‘ _Kurosaki_

_I have returned to the soul society as we discussed last night. I will attempt to convince the Captains that Renji is completing a mission that I have assigned to him, hopefully this will give us enough time to travel to Hueco Mundo with out interference. I will return to Urahara’s store soon with all the required equipment._

_Byakuya Kuchiki’_

The Alpha finished reading the note and sighed, he had hoped to talk with the noble before he returned. Ichigo scooped up the futon and put it back into Karin’s wardrobe where it belonged. He walked out of the room and as he walked past his own he looked inside, his bedroom was empty meaning that they were probably down stairs. Before he went to join them he peered into his head to find Shiro. 

The hollow was lay on his back with his arms behind his head lightly snoring as clouds passed over head. Ichigo began to wonder exactly what the albino got up to inside his head. Old man Zangetsu who was perched in his usual spot answered his question. ‘Shiro used to explore this place, he would head in a direction and would be gone for days, he has never told me what he has found though. Though since you trained with the Vizards he barely moves from that spot and has been sleeping a lot.’. 

The teen thought for a moment, so even though Shiro and Zangetsu shared his inner world yet rarely spoke to one another. And the hollow had been spending most of his time asleep? ‘Zan why do you think he is sleeping so much?’ 

Zangetsu pondered for a short moment before he answered. ‘Since you mastered your hollowfication both yours and Shiro’s soul cores have changed. It is something we need to discuss but at this moment I believe you are needed by your Beta and pack mate require your attention’ 

Just as Ichigo was about to protest he heard a loud crash come from downstairs, what the hell were they doing down there? With his questions momentarily forgotten the teen ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. When he slid on the wooden flooring he greeted by the sight of Grimm and Renji literally butting heads and two smashed glasses and a bowl littered the floor. He paused for a moment to listen to their bickering.

Grimmjow snarled slightly as he spoke. “What the hell did you do that for Red?!”

“You were doing it wrong! You have to put the filter in first!” Renji snapped right back and pressed his tattooed forehead firmer against the blunettes. 

“I was just about to do that you dumbass, I saw Ichigo do it yesterday” The feline pointed to the coffee machine and was about to continue but Ichigo butted in before things could escalate any further.

“Alright you two pack it in! I don’t care what happened but your both going to clean this mess up” The Alphas voice was low but firm. Renji turned to him with an open mouth but a stern look quickly shut the red head up. With out saying another word on the matter Ichigo grabbed the brush and mop from the cleaning cupboard and handed the brush to Grimmjow and the mop to Renji. “Byakuya has already gone back to the Soul Society, he will return this afternoon. Now get this mess cleaned up and I’ll make breakfast”

Renji looked at the ground in disappointment at hearing his captain had left without saying anything to him. He let out a small sigh and started to mop up the spilt coffee. Last night he had remained awake after his pack mates had fallen asleep, his mind kept repeating Byakuya words “I give my word that I will do everything within my power to protect Renji and my child that he carries”. Had the noble truly meant that? What would this mean for his child? All the possibilities had his mind spinning. 

It only took Grimmjow a few minutes to sweep away the bits of broken glass and pot, by the time he had disposed of the rubbish as Ichigo had instructed he turned is attention back to the daydreaming red head. Renji was absent mindedly running the mop over the same spot and his eyes were slightly glazed. The feline looked back at his mate for a moment and saw that his attention was on mixing some ingredients together. Letting out a small sigh he rested the brush against the wall and turned back to his fellow Beta and whispered. “Hey Red, you ok?”

The tattooed Soul Reaper shook his head and looked at Grimm who wore a concerned expression. “Oh yea sorry I’m fine”

Grimmjow wasn’t buying that, He took the mop from the red head and placed it next to the brush before taking Renji’s hand. “Ichi, we’re done cleaning. We will go set the table now” He heard his mate shout a thanks to them as he pulled the other Beta from the kitchen to the dining area out of ear shot from the Alpha. “Right, talk to me Red. I know something is seriously wrong with you. I thought you would feel better now that your Alpha knows your preggers and has accepted you?”

Red eyes widened in shock at Grimmjow’s blunt statement, had the feline always been that perceptive? He wanted to lie and say that he was happy that Byakuya had accepted that he was pregnant and had promised to protect them, but he just couldn’t. He looked at the ground and tightened his grip on the hand that was still holding his. “I-I know I should be happy that Byakuya has accepted all of this and I can’t believe he is going to Hueco Mundo with us. Its just… well… for years I’ve loved him and when we… mated, I thought I was lucky enough just for that to happen. I never expected to end up pregnant with his child and now I’ve tied him to me when I know he doesn’t feel the same way. What if he ends up hating me for this? What if I never get to feel what you and Ichigo have? Im… scared Grimm”

Listening to the red heads confession made Grimmjow’s chest tighten. It had never occurred to him that Renji could be feeling so conflicted over his Alpha. He now understood all those jealous looks the red head had given him when he had been cuddling up to Ichigo. The feline pulled his hand free and wrapped his arms around the tattooed man in a tight embrace. “I can’t make any promises about Byakuya or how he feels, but all I can say is that you're a part of our pack and no matter what we will always be here for you” 

Renji rested his head on the Grimm’s shoulder and returned the embrace. Some how hearing those words made him feel like a weight had been lifted from his soul. He never would have guessed that this former enemy would now be one of his closest friends. As he remained in the felines arms he once again picked up on Grimmjow’s soul core, he mentally cursed himself as he had completely forgotten to mention it. “Grimm thank you, I needed to hear that. Erm there is something I’ve been meaning to tell you but since everything has been a bit hectic I’ve not really had chance. The other day when you were asleep on the sofa with me, I ended up reading your soul core and well, it’s completely different than any Arrancar that I have met”

Grimmjow’s eyes widened and he pulled away from the red head just enough to look at his face. “What do you mean by my core is different for the other Arrancar? How is it different?”

The red head looked away from the intense blue gaze guiltily. “I’m not very good at describing things but when I’ve read an other Arrancars core, I could sense the remnants of all the hollows it had consumed surrounding the center. But with you the center of your core is about five times larger and I can only sense about six other hollow remnants. If I didn’t know you were originally an Arrancar I would have thought you were like Ichigo, a Vizard”

The felines mind instantly remembered Aizen’s experiments with the Hogyoku, that bastard had said something about further evolving an Arrancar. Is this what he meant? Until now he really hadn’t felt any differently, he greatly missed Pantera and hoped that his Zanpakuto was ok but in himself he hadn’t felt any changes. If his core had changed so drastically what the hell did this mean? He understood that any hollow above a Menos had the remnants of every hollow that it had consumed attached to their core, the stronger the hollow the more hollows it had in its core. Renji said he could only sense six and his center was larger, did that mean he was weaker now? Would he be strong enough to carry the cubs when they grew bigger and needed more of his spirt energy to grow strong enough to survive? 

Ichigo had just been about to pour the pancake mix into the frying pan when he felt his mate beginning to panic threw their bond. He placed the mixing bowl back on the counter top and turned off the gas before he quickly strode over to the dining area. Grimm and Renji were in an embrace and he could see from the short distance that the feline was starting to gasp for breath. “Hey what’s going on?”

Releasing his hold on the blunette Renji watched as Grimmjow turned from him and straight into the teens open arms. The red head cursed himself six ways to Sunday, he really should have waited to tell Grimm about his core but he had only just remembered. Looking down at the floor he softly spoke. “It’s my fault Ichigo, I told him that I felt that his soul core was different from the other Arrancar. I didn’t know he would be so upset about it” 

The teen looked confused for a moment and reached out to see what Renji meant. Delving in to his mates soul he read the felines core and just as the red head had said it was completely different to the first time Ichigo had seen it. Before the center had been surrounded by thousands of hollow remnants, but now the center its self was much larger and only six distinctive hollow remnants remained. How the hell had he not noticed this before?! He had never been the best at reading soul cores but he surely would have noticed this. “Grimm. Is this because of Aizen?”

The feline growled at the bastards name but nodded his head. “I think so. That fucker used the Hogyoku on me twice even thought I was already an Arrancar. I don’t remember much of what he said other than he thought he could further evolve me. The first time he used it on me he put the thing right inside my hollow hole, it hurt like hell and after my hole closed up. The second time he placed it against my chest, that time I passed out. The rest I don’t really want to talk about” Grimmjow was physically shaking by the time he finished, both from anger and the trauma of having to remember that hell.

The Alpha held his mate tightly and was breathing deeply to keep control of his own anger. How Grimm had endured that torture was beyond him, but he was grateful for his Betas resilience. Hearing more of what the feline had gone through made him want to rip Aizen limb from limb and that was just the start of what his mind was coming up with. He was actually surprised that Shiro was keeping quiet on the matter. 

The teen spared a glance to Renji who was looking at them with wide eyes that were beginning to water with tears. Maybe it was his hormones or it was their connection as Betas, but it was obvious that hearing Grimmjow’s torture had an effect on the red head. Ichigo released one arm from his mate and held it open for Renji. It only took a second for the red head to realize his offer before he attached himself to the Alphas side. Holding both Betas, the teen rumbled his chest to help them calm. Grimmjow was surprisingly the first to relax, he looked up at him and Ichigo placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. “I’m sorry you had to endure that babe, I promise we will find out exactly what he has done to you and I will rip that bastards spine out of his mouth for hurting you”

Grimmjow shuddered at hearing his mates threat, he couldn’t wait to watch that happen. Just the mental image alone made him want to purr. He returned the kiss to his mates lips before placing a hand on the Renji’s back, the red head still had his face hidden in the teens shoulder and was sniffling quietly. “Red, I’m ok. I just hadn’t realized what effects the experiments had on me. If you hadn’t told me I might not have know until it was too late. Come on I’m starving and Ichi is making pancakes, what ever they are?”

Renji let out a light huff at Grimm’s mocking tone and looked up from the teens shoulder to see at his pack mates smiling at him. He returned the smile and reached up to wipe away his tears. “Pancakes sound good, have you got strawberry sauce?”

The teen nodded and released both the Betas from his arms. “Yes I have strawberry and blueberry sauce for the pancakes. You two sit down and I’ll bring them over in a few minutes”

Both Grimmjow and Renji sat in their usual spots around he table while Ichigo returned to the kitchen to finish off breakfast. It only took him a few minutes to fry up the pancakes and stack them on a plate. He grabbed the sauces and a few empty plates for them to use and walked back to the dining area. Placing the pancakes into the center of the table he sat down. “Dig in” 

Grimmjow picked up a flat doughy pancake and stared at it curiously. Renji quickly showed him how to put some of the red sauce on it and how to roll it up. With out hesitation he took a large bite and moaned at the amazingly sweet taste. After that the pancakes were quickly devoured. Once the three males were full, Ichigo quickly ushered the Betas to the living room and cleaned up. 

Just as the teen was about to join Grimm and Renji he heard his phone ring from the other side of the kitchen. He picked it up and realized that it was Urahara, pressing the answer button he raised it up to his ear and answered. “Hi Kisuke, is everything ok?”

‘Hello Ichigo, everything is fine, great in fact. I am just calling to let you know the Garganta is fully powered and ready to go. I’ve already contacted Uryuu and Chad, they will be here within a few hours. I suggest you get everything you will need and come to the shop’ 

The blond didn’t let him respond and hung up the call. Ichigo stared at his phone blankly for a moment while he processed the information that had just been thrown at him. The Garganta was ready and it was time to go. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys hope your all doing well. 
> 
> I've been having a bit of trouble lately and not been getting a lot of time to write so my updates will be a bit slower than I would like. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy. 
> 
> RRL x

Without having time to think Ichigo ran up the stairs and into his bed room, he skidded over to his desk and pulled open a small draw to find a small green pill. Shit he had completely forgotten about the mod soul and was dreading having his ears chewed off. With a wince brought the pill up to his lips and swallowed. In seconds his soul was forced from body and he stumbled backwards. His controlled body blinked at him before Kon lifted his arms and flexed his fingers, his own brown eyes looked at him glaring. “ICHIGO YOU BASTARD!!! How long have I been in that draw?! How could you forget about me?! What the hell has been going on?!”

Ichigo sighed pushed his body away since during his rant Kon had got right in his face. “Calm down Kon, I’m sorry I left you in the draw but I couldn’t deal with you and all the other stuff that’s been going on. Long story short I’m going to Hueco Mundo with Grimmjow, Renji, Byakuya, Shiro, Chad and Uryuu. We’re going to rescue Orihime and I need you to take care of my body while I’m gone. I swear if you do anything to ruin my reputation any more than you already have I will stick you in a toy fish and watch you swim round a bowl for all eternity” 

Kon blinked and tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the teen. “Who the hell is Grimmjow and Shiro? And why is Renji going but not Rukia? I don’t understand anything!”

The teen sighed, grabbed his bag and walked out of his room knowing the annoying little shit would follow him. He heard Kon’s foot steps as he descended the stairs and headed into the living room where Grimmjow and Renji were waiting. After Kisuke’s call he had told the Betas that the Garganta was ready, both of them were nervous about the up coming trip but had just nodded at him and prepared to leave for the store. The teen had finally remembered that he needed Kon to take over his body once they had left and retrieved the little annoyance. He entered the room with his bag of thing slung over his shoulder and spoke to the waiting males. “Come on let’s go” 

The Alpha lead the way out of the clinic and made sure to lock up as they left. The walk to Urahara’s shop was silent and full of nervous energy, Ichigo ended up taking ahold of his mates hand to reassure him. As they approached the front of the store the teen realized that Uryuu and Chad were stood by the door waiting for them, he gave them both a nod and entered through the sliding doors. The group made their way through the shop to the open hatch and down to the underground training area.

Ichigo spotted Urahara stood by the large rock formations that stood and the pillars that held the Garganta open and turned to his pack. “You guys wait here, I just need to talk to Kisuke” As he stepped forward towards the shop keeper a hand suddenly grasped his wrist. Turning his head he noticed Grimm had taken ahold of his sleeve and was looking at him pleadingly. The teen smiled at his mate and nodded for him to follow. 

“Hey Kisuke, thanks for doing this. We’re all ready to go but we need to wait for Byakuya to arrive” The Alpha spoke as he got closer to the blond who was grinning with a knowing look. 

“Captain Kuchiki arrived no so long ago, he’s upstairs getting a few things from Tessai. He will be down shortly. Before you go I have a few extra things for you to take with you” Kisuke stepped to the side and revealed three brown duffle bags. He reached into the first one and pulled out a strange looking tent. “This is a reiatsu cloaking shelter. It should allow you to camp safely without being sensed by other hollows or arrancar, I have only been able to put four together so unfortunately some of you will have to share” The shop keeper ran through more of his gadgets, food packs and other things that would help them survive in the deserts of Hueco Mundo. 

By the time the blond finished Ichigo’s mind was puzzled and he was wondering how all that stuff fitted inside those bags. Just as he was about to ask another question he felt Byakuya’s reiatsu as the noble descended into the large space. The teen turned around to greet him, his brown eyes went wide as he spotted the short figure standing by the Captain’s side. Rukia was here?! He felt his mate shift so that he was stood behind him and a wave of nervous energy slipped through the bond. The Alpha turned to Grimm and smiled. “Don’t worry Grimm, I’m sure Byakuya has told her about everything. She won’t do anything” 

Grimmjow bit back a snarl and nodded his head. In all honesty he wasn’t concerned about the woman hurting him or the cubs, he was more worried about her relationship with his Alpha. He remembered from his first visit to the Living World that Ichigo and the midget were extremely close, he had even wondered if they had been mated. The teen hadn’t mentioned her at all since he had been here but that didn’t mean that they weren’t involved with each other. 

Byakuya walked gracefully towards the group and noticed that Renji was stood with the two humans that would be joining them on this rescue mission. He gave his sister the signal to remain where she stood and tightly gripped Zabimaru in his left hand. Slowly he approached his nervous looking lieutenant. Once he was a few feet away from the red head he gave a small smile and held out the Zanpakuto. “Here Renji, I found her hidden in your quarters. I can tell from her energy she has missed you” 

Looking up to his Captain gratefully Renji grinned widely, all of his previous anxiety forgotten. “Thank you Captain. I have missed her too” He took ahold of Zabimaru and the moment the blade was in his hand he felt a rush of warmth come from her. He felt their connection click back into place and heard her voice enter his mind. ‘Renji you dumbass why did you leave me? I’ve been worried sick about you’ The tone of her voice was filled with worry and anger. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her. ‘Sorry Zabi, I had some issues to deal with and I didn’t know I would be gone for so long’ He replayed the last several days for her to see and by the time he was done he could feel that she was almost dizzy. ‘Ok I’m sorry for snapping at you, but I swear if you leave me like that again I’m going to go Bankai on your ass and spank you till you don’t know how to walk’ Before he had chance to respond Byakuya spoke to him.

“I’m sorry interrupt your reunion with Zabimaru but I need to speak with Ichigo” The noble turned and Renji finally noticed his oldest friend stood behind him. His lieutenants face lit up and he practically ran towards the shorter female who was looking at her friend with a look of joy. Byakuya smiled as Rukia embraced his lieutenant before he turned his attention to Kurosaki and his mate. He strode the short distance to them and was surprised when the teen smiled at him and held out his hand. 

The captain firmly gripped the Alphas hand and spoke. “I have been able to keep the Gotei off our backs for at least the next 24 hours but I am sure they will find out where we a going soon enough. I have also brought the items Urahara requested”. 

Ichigo bowed his head and released the Captains hand. “Thank you Byakuya, your help is greatly appreciated. I have to ask though how did Rukia end up tagging along?”

Byakuya let out a light chuckle and turned to look at his adoptive sister who was still chatting with Renji. “I had just returned from a meeting with the Head Captain when Rukia caught up to me. She was very upset about Renji’s disappearance and started shouting at me that I could not allow him to be arrested and court marshalled. She followed me back to the manor and refused to leave until I promised to find him. I didn’t have much choice other than to tell her the truth and by that point she told me she was coming with me whether I wanted her to or not” 

A deep laugh left the teens lips as he heard the story. Knowing Rukia as well as he did he could mentally picture her nagging the usually stoic captain until he finally caved and told her the truth. He finally caught his breath and looked up at Byakuya who was also smiling. As he was about to speak he felt a sudden rush of anxiety flood through the bond and turned to look at his mate. Grimmjow was still stood behind him and his gaze was fixed to the floor, his hands were clenched into fists over his slightly extended middle. 

Ichigo scrunched his brow in confusion and looked back at Byakuya for a moment. “Can you make sure everyone is ready to leave please Byakuya. I just need a quick talk with Grimm” The noble nodded and turned to return to the group. Rukia was about to run over to him but was stopped by her brother. The teen faced his mate once again, the feline took a small step backwards and refused to look him in the eye. “Grimmjow, look at me. What’s wrong? I can feel that your anxious about something”

The blunette cursed the fact Ichigo could read his emotions, he really didn’t want his Alpha to know that he was nervous about the woman. A part of him feared that the teen was in some form of relationship with the midget. If they were they why had Ichigo mated with him? Surely he was over reacting to nothing. But what if he was wrong? What if Ichigo would leave him if this woman told him too? The thought alone had Grimmjow shaking slightly, a sudden firm grip on his shoulders pulled him from his thoughts and he finally looked up to his mate. Ichigo was staring at him intently with concern written all over his face. “I’m fine, Alp…erm Ichigo”

The teen scowled at Grimmjow’s answer, he had almost called him Alpha. Why? Something was definitely wrong with that. Ichigo released the felines shoulders and he carefully pulled him into an embrace. “Grimm I know your lying. You never call me Alpha and I would never expect you too. Please babe talk to me, I hate seeing you like this”

Swallowing the lump in his throat Grimmjow leaned into his mates chest and quietly asked a question. “W-what’s your relationship with that woman?”

Ichigo scrunched his brow in confusion. “Rukia? She’s just my friend, Why?”

Letting out a sigh of relief Grimm felt himself go lax in the teens hold. His cheeks began to heat as embarrassment filled him. Of course he was over reacting to nothing. He wanted to lie and say he was just curious but he knew the Alpha would instantly pick up on it and would continue to interrogate him. The feline sighed and came clean. “I…I was worried that she was your lover?” 

The orange-haired teen let out a deep breath and tightened his hold on the pregnant Beta before placing a kiss on his temple. “Oh Grimm, I don’t have a lover, You’re the only one I’m with and want to be with. We’re having three perfect cubs and I can’t believe how happy I am that you’re the one carrying them. Come on its nearly time to go through the Garganta.” 

Grimmjow smiled and nodded his head. Hearing the teens words as well as feeling their bond filled him with warmth. Before he was released from Ichigo’s embrace, the teen claimed his lips in a gentle kiss and took him by the hand, fingers entwined, then lead him to the group. Once they closed in on the rescue party the feline noticed that the woman, Rukia, was staring at them quite obviously wanting to come over. Ichigo gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and turned to the midget.

“Hey Rukia, it’s good to see you” Ichigo gave a small smile to his shorter friend and received a large smile from the dark haired woman. She ran up to him and looked like she was about to punch him like she usually did when he got himself into a mad situation like he was in now. Thankfully she stopped a few feet away and looked him over before focusing her gaze at Grimmjow. Rukia’s brow scrunched as she analyzed the feline. 

“Is it true Ichigo? Is he pregnant with your child?” Rukia’s voice was even and questioning.

The teen sighed when he felt Grimm move behind him again, Rukia really wasn’t helping ease his mates nerves. “Yes it’s true. It’s a long story but we don’t have time to discuss it now. I’m happy you’re here Rukia but if you’re coming with us you need to accept that Grimmjow is my Beta now”

Rukia tilted her head at the word Beta then smiled again. “I’m not upset about it Ichigo, I just wanted to ask if I can be their aunty as well. Renji has already said I can be an aunty to his and Byakuya’s baby”  
The Substitute Soul Reaper chuckled and was about to respond when a deep laugh came from behind him. He looked over his shoulder his smile widened when he saw that Grimmjow was almost doubled over with laughter. Ichigo turned his gaze back to Rukia who was looking at the feline like he had gone insane. After a few minutes the blunette finally calmed enough to breath and looked up at them with a glistening in his blue eyes and a bright smile on his face.

“I’m sure the cubs would like you to be their Aunty. The more people that are looking out for them the better” Grimmjow had been completely shocked by the woman’s words and couldn’t stop the out burst of laughter at her strange request. All his previous anxiety left instantly and he made his mind up that he liked this midget.

Rukia beamed at being told she would have more nieces or nephews but when it finally sunk in what Grimmjow had said her eyes widened. “Wait you mean your having more than one?”

It was Ichigo’s turn to laugh. “Yep we're having triplets, their gonna be a real handful when they get bigger so we would really appreciate you being their Aunt”

The dark haired woman cheered and launched herself at both of the taller males, pulling them into a tight hug. She felt Grimm tense a little at first but he soon relaxed and placed an arm around her waist. In all honesty she had been angry when Byakuya revealed that Ichigo had impregnated an Arrancar, the one that had punched a hole in her stomach. But when she heard that Aizen was the one behind the whole thing she had calmed, now that she saw them together she could instantly tell that they were going to be good for each other. 

A sudden loud whistle caught everyone’s attention, they all looked up to the open Garganta and noticed that Kisuke was stood on the large rock formation to the right of the portal. He was waving and once he was sure he had everyone’s focus he called out. “Right guys it’s time to go, Once you pass through there is no solid ground only a blackness of raging reishi, Byakuya and Uryuu have agree to form the reishi bridges for you all to cross. I don’t know where about in Hueco Mundo you will arrive so hopefully Grimmjow will be able to tell your location and lead you all too Las Noches. I wish you all luck” 

Looks of apprehension were shared before Ichigo was the first to step forward followed by Byakuya and Uryuu, they nodded to each other and all took the leap up to the Garganta, shortly followed by the rest of the group. Byakuya, being a master of controlling his reiatsu, was easily able to create a stable footing for everyone. Uryuu created a second bridge and the whole rescue party headed through the darkness. They all ran along the white bridges in silence, mostly taking in the strange atmosphere that surrounded them. 

Grimmjow wasn’t sure how long he had been running for, his usual trips through a Garganta never felt this long. He was beginning to feel fatigue catching up with him, his muscles were aching and he was soon gasping for breath. The feline knew he couldn’t stop, he couldn’t hold the group back, he had to keep going. As the blunette continued to run he was suddenly over come by a wave of dizziness and stumbled almost falling off the edge of the reishi bridge. He closed his eyes tight and waited to fall into the void but a pair of strong hands grabbed his arm and pulled him backwards, the feline felt his back meet a solid wall of muscle and he looked back over his shoulder to see the tall dark teen, Chad if he remembered rightly. “Erm thanks”

The tall male looked him over and made sure he was stable on his feet before he shouted. “Ichigo, I think we need to slow down”

The Alpha was running just behind Byakuya who was setting a firm ground when he heard his usually quite friend shout him. He turned to see that Chad and Grimmjow had stopped moving and the tanned teen was holding his mates arm. Worrying that something was wrong, the teen ran back until he reached his Beta who he could now see that he was standing on shaky legs. “Grimm are you ok?”

The feline met his mates concerned gaze and shook his head. “Sorry, I’m just getting tired. The cubs are taking more of my energy than I thought” Grimmjow hated admitting his weakness but he knew he couldn’t hide this, not if he wanted to keep his cubs safe.

Ichigo took a moment to think before an idea popped into his head. He pulled Zangetsu from his back and handed it to Chad before turning so that his back was facing his mate and looked over his shoulder. “Come on, I’ll carry you” He saw Grimm blush lightly but he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the teens shoulders, with a little jump muscular thighs gripped the Alphas hips and Ichigo hooked his arms under the blunettes knees. Once he was sure that Grimmjow was comfortable on his back he turned back to Chad. “Thanks for that Chad, can you carry Zangetsu for me” His friend nodded and placed the large blade on his own back. 

They quickly caught up to the group who had stopped just a little further head and carried on through the void. Grimmjow rested his head on his mates shoulder and felt himself starting to drift to sleep. He was almost completely gone when he felt the familiar rush of thick air filled with reishi. He lifted his gaze and saw the bright light of the Garganta opening into his home realm. He tightened his grip on his mates shoulders and prepared for them to break through. 

With loud crash the end of the portal cracked open and all seven of the rescue group broke through the barrier and landed on soft white sand. They had finally made it to Hueco Mundo. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AGH!!! OMG Im sorry its taken ages to update, I've been struggling with everything going on in lock down. I'm not going to prattle on. Please enjoy and let me know your thoughts. 
> 
> RRLx

Chapter 17 

The cloud of sand from where they had landed finally settled and Ichigo took in the sight of Hueco Mundo for the first time. He was amazed by the barren landscape, all he could see was endless sand dunes, dead trees and the dark sky with a crescent moon shining down on them. The place was very different from the image he had in his head. As he finished processing the unusual place he felt his mate shiver on his back, the teen turned his head and looked at Grimm. “Grimmjow, you doing ok?”

The feline was feeling conflicted by his return to his home world, the hollow part of his soul was pleased to be back on the familiar sands yet the more evolved part of him knew the dangers of this endless desert. He knew that staying in one place for too long would undoubtedly draw attention of any nearby hollow that sensed their powerful reiatsu. Grimmjow realized the teen had spoken to him and whispered in his ear. “Yea I’m fine, I think it’s best if we get moving. We’re in a very open position, we need to find somewhere more sheltered” 

As he turned to face the rest of the group Ichigo was surprised to see that they were all looking at him and waiting for his instructions. The teen suddenly realized that he had some how ended up the leader of their rescue party, he had presumed since Byakuya had joined, since he was a Captain, he would be the one making all the decisions. Damn it why did he have all the responsibility? 

For the first time in nearly 24 hours Shiro had the strength speak up ‘ **Its because you’re their Alpha, King. Even the Soul Reapers instinctively see you as their leader. Especially here your Alpha reiatsu will be a lot stronger.’** The hollow spoke to his King but his voice was weaker than usual. For some unknown reason Shiro had suddenly experience most of his power being drained, even inside Ichigo’s inner world he just couldn’t gather any energy. 

‘ _Shiro, are you ok in there? Zangetsu said you have been sleeping a lot lately’_. Ichigo was concerned about his hollow. Due to the recent events he hadn’t had much time to find out what was wrong with Shiro. 

The albino look a like rolled his eyes. **‘I’m fine King, you have other things to worry about right now than my sleeping patterns. You need to get Grimmy and the others somewhere safe so you can plan your next move. I’m sure the kitty knows a some place to make camp’**

As much as he hated to admit it Shiro was right, they needed to get moving. ‘ _Alright but when we find some where we’re going to talk_ ’ He heard the hollow chuckle weakly and promised himself he would find out what was going on with the albino. Ichigo took in a deep breath, tightened his grip on his mates knees and turned to face his friends. “We need to get away from here and find somewhere to camp, Grimm do you know somewhere where we can go?”

The feline looked around again and eventually got his bearings. Thankfully he recognized the area as it used to be one of his old hunting grounds as an Adjuchas. “Yes I know a place not too far away, it’s near the Menos forest” 

Ichigo waited a few minutes to see if anyone wanted to interject their opinion, when no one did he took in a deep breath and asked his mate to direct the way. For the duration of the journey to their first camp sight there was only quiet conversation, Uryuu and Chad spoke about what possible things besides hollows lived in this place. Renji stuck close to him and Grimmjow while Rukia tried to get her brother to engage in conversation. The teen listened to his Beta as he some how navigated the way through the sand dunes that all looked the same. 

Eventually they came upon a large hill, it seemed like it wasn’t the best place to make camp. “Ichi can you put me down, I need to see if it’s still here.” Grimmjow whispered into his mates ear. The feline was set upon his feet and followed his senses with his mate close behind. He made his way up the hill and just where he suspected was a decent sized hole in the sand, he gave Ichigo a nod and was followed as he squeezed himself through the hole. There was a narrow passage way that opened up into a surprisingly large cave. Once inside Grimmjow was overcome by a wave of familiarity.

Ichigo watched the blunette as he looked around the wide cavern in awe. “Grimm, what is this place?” the teen asked when he noticed a strange expression fall upon his mates face.

Grimmjow walked up to a small pit in the corner of the cavern and crouched down to run his fingers through the sand. A small smile crept upon his lips before he looked over his shoulder to the Alpha behind him. “This used to be my den, I lived here when I was an Adjuchas” He wouldn’t admit it out loud but he had once imagined himself here with a mate and cubs. Feline Adjuchas were one of the more parental hollows and would usually mate for life. 

The Alpha looked at his mate with a small smile, he had no idea that hollows would do such things as make a den. He slowly walked up to Grimmjow and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for bringing me here” The teen watched as his mate rose to his feet and turned to face him. 

“You might want to go and get the others, I know it’s hard to tell but it will be night time here soon and that’s when most hollows hunt” Grimmjow spoke softly. Ichigo kissed his forehead before he headed out of the narrow entrance leaving the feline alone for the moment. The blunette waited until the teen was out of view before he stepped into his old nest and sat himself down on the soft sand. He didn’t know how to feel about returning to his old den but right now the main worry was that they had somewhere safe to spend the night. 

Ichigo crawled out of the small entrance to Grimmjow’s den, once he pulled himself to his feet he noticed that everybody was stood waiting at the bottom of the hill looking anxious. He slid down the sand dune and stopped just in front of Chad. “Grimmjow’s old den is inside this hill, it’s big enough for all of us” He lead the way to the narrow hole, Renji was the first to enter followed by Rukia. Uryuu waited for Chad to go ahead of him. Just as the teen was about to encourage Byakuya to enter the noble turned to him and spoke. 

“Ichigo may I have a moment to speak with you before we join the others?” Byakuya asked the Substitute Soul Reaper. He was given a quick nod as a reply and continued. “Since we arrived here there has been a noticeable change in your spiritual energy. Your hollow powers have greatly increased yet it feels completely different to the time we fought in the Soul Society. I would have to say that it seems as though your hollow abilities have transformed”

Honey brown eyes widen as Ichigo stared is surprise at the captain in front of him. He had known his hollow powers were affected by Hueco Mundo’s reishi thick air but he had no idea that the core of his power had completely transformed. Could this be what had been affecting Shiro. The teen took in a deep breath, calming himself before speaking. “Thank you for telling me Byakuya, I didn’t know that my power had changed that much. I will speak with Shiro once everyone is settled” The noble nodded to him and headed inside the cavern with the rest of the group, Ichigo followed behind him.

Once inside the cavern Ichigo noticed that Renji and Rukia had joined Grimmjow near his old nest and Chad and Uryuu were setting up the reiatsu cloaking tents that Kisuke had made for them. He watched the captain as he joined the two humans and began to aid them with the supply’s before he walked over and joined his mate and friends. Grimm looked like he was close to falling asleep as did the red head who was doing his best to keep his eyes open while Rukia talked to him. Feeling like he need to rescue the two pregnant Betas from the short woman’s endless chatter he smiled as he stepped into the felines nest and spoke softly. “Hey, you two look exhausted. Rukia why don’t you go and help set the tents up, Uryuu and Byakuya look like their about to rip each other a part” 

The short woman looked over to her brother and friend, she instantly realize Ichigo was right. Byakuya was itching to grab Senbonzakura and Uryuu was only seconds away from releasing Ginrei Kojaku. Rukia rose to her feet. “I’ll sort them out Ichigo” She then ran the short distance to the squabbling men and immediately started lecturing them. 

Renji let out a deep sigh, as much as he love his oldest friend he was relieved to be rid of her constant chatting. The Alpha was right he was exhausted, unlike Grimmjow he had ran the whole way through the Garganta and all the way here to this cavern. Every one of his muscles ached and his mind was barely functioning. “Thanks Ichigo, she may be my best friend but even I can get to the point where I want her to shut up, I’m just happy she didn’t pull out those drawings of hers”

The teen laughed at the mention of Rukia’s questionable artistic abilities, like Renji he considered the midget one of his best friends but at times like this she was best dealt with in small doses. He looked over to the guys finishing the tents and almost felt a pang of guilt, the dark haired woman was currently waving a finger at Byakuya and the noble looked like he so desperately wanted to role his eyes. “Yea I know what you mean, she’s great but she can be a bit intense at times. Any way it looks like their almost done, are you two ok sharing a tent? I would suggest you have one each but theirs only four, Chad and Uryuu have already agreed to share and I know Rukia doesn’t want to share with her brother.”

Grimmjow finally opened his eyes and looked up at his mate. He would much prefer spending the night with his mate but unfortunately the tents could barely hold two people let alone three and he didn’t expect Renji to spend their first night here with the stoic noble. “Sure, if reds with ok with it. Where are you going to sleep Ichi?”

The Alpha sighed before he replied. “I’m going to be taking the first guard shift then Byakuya is going to switch with me after a few hours. I’ll get some sleep in his tent while he’s watching for danger” Just as he finished speaking Chad shouted that the tents were finally ready. “Come on, you two need to get some sleep. We can worry about everything else later” Ichigo helped Grimm to his feet and ushered the pregnant Betas to the nearest tent. He watched them climb inside and wrestle with the blankets until they lay down facing each other. It was literally seconds before he heard Grimm’s gentle snoring and Renji snuggled closer to the feline for warmth. 

The teen smiled before he closed the tents fabric opening and turned back to the others. Rukia had already claimed the tent next to Renji and Grimm’s, Chad was pulling out two sleeping bags for himself and Uryuu and Byakuya was flicking through a book that he had brought with him. Ichigo walked over to his friends and crouched down next to the Quincy. 

“Hey guys, sorry I’ve not really spoke to you since we got to Urahara’s, it’s been a crazy few hours” The tallest teen smiled at him before telling him that he understood. Chad obviously hadn’t expected his orange-haired class mate to be overly chatty during this rescue mission, Uryuu on the other hand just looked at him with a strange distain in his eyes. Ichigo didn’t quite understand why the Quincy was angry with him but now wasn’t the time to be having that discussion, he just hoped that the dark haired teen would just yell at him and get what ever it was out of his system. 

The substitute Soul Reaper bid his friends good night and told Byakuya he would wake him when it was his turn to stand guard. The captain simply nodded before he retired to the tent nearest the entry way to the cavern. Once everyone was in their tents and seemed to be sleeping Ichigo finally had the chance to deal with the thing that had been worrying him for the last several hours. He sat himself down crossed legged on the soft sand and closed his eyes. 

In a flash of red Ichigo landed on his feet on one of the sideways skyscrapers of his inner world. It took him a moment of searching but he soon enough located the two beings he had come here to personally see and speak too. The teen flash stepped across the glass that acted as flooring and quickly landed in front of the old man that was the sprit of his Zanpakuto. “Zangetsu, where’s Shiro? I need to know what’s going on with him” 

The old man glanced at his master over his dark glasses before he turned his head towards a nearby building. “Shiro is over there, since your conversation with him earlier he has been keeping very quiet and hasn’t moved from that building. May I suggest Ichigo that you don’t get to angry with him, he really hasn’t been himself the last 24 hours”

Ichigo nodded to his Zanpakuto and walked to the edge of the sideways skyscraper he was on and jumped over to the next on over. He looked around and eventually spotted the familiar white hair and robes of his hollow and slowly made his way over to the albino who was sat on the glass and was looking up at the grey sky. As he got closer he soon noticed that Shiro some how looked even paler than normal, how that was possible the teen didn’t know but the hollow looked almost transparent. “Shiro?”

At the mention of his name the albino turned his gaze downwards and to his King. He had been dreading this moment when Ichigo came to talk to him, it had taken the hollow a while to figure it out but he finally knew what was happening to him and a part of him feared what his king would do when he found out. “ **Hey King, how’s the kitty and cubs doing? I take it everyone made it safe and sound** ”

The Alpha scowled at his hollows shaking voice and moved so that he was stood directly in front of Shiro, from this new angle he could see just how bad the white version of himself looked. Shiro’s eyes were no longer a vibrant gold, they were now a dull yellow and he had black lines under them. “Shi what’s happening to you? You were fine the other day when we were talking with Kisuke. What the hell has happened that’s made you like this in such a short amount of time?!”

Damn it, why did his King have to be so persistent. Shiro just wanted a few minutes of chatting with the teen before he had to reveal the damning truth. But he one thing he was incapable of doing was denying the soul reaper that was his master. The hollow sighed and let his shoulders slump as resigned himself to revealing everything. “ **Since you trained with the Vizard your hollow powers have been steadily evolving beyond what anyone could have imagined. Up until now I was the source and control of those powers but your core has separated your power from me and has stabilized it all on its own. Our powers are no longer connected and your core is now rejecting me. To put it simply King, our souls have separated and I am no longer needed, I am being rejected from your inner world** ”

Ichigo’s knees gave out and he collapsed to the glass floor beneath him. His soul was rejecting Shiro? How was that possible, the hollow was a part of him. “I-Isn’t there anything we can do to stop it?”

Shiro just smiled sadly and shook his head. “ **Unfortunately not King. The stronger you get the less I am needed. Our powers are already completely separated, it’s just a matter of time before I grow too weak and fade away. Your gonna be ok King. You’re an Alpha now and your mate is relying on you** ”

The teen growled, he couldn’t just accept this. He refused to just role over and let his hollow die. Shiro had promised to be there for him and had been a great help in figuring all of this out. No he wouldn’t let Shiro die! Ichigo rose to his feet and approached the sickly looking Albino. Before he could say anything else Zangetsu appeared before them. “Shiro, why didn’t you tell me about this? I could have slowed down the drain on your powers?!”

Rolling his miss colored eyes Shiro let out a sarcastic groan. “ **Your not my keeper old man, I knew that there was no stopping this. You nag me enough as it is I didn’t want to give you something else to moan about** ”

Ichigo cured loudly, there must be something he could do. “Shi, why haven’t you manifested outside of here? If your not in my inner world wouldn’t that stop you from being absorbed?”

The albino gave a exasperated sigh, surely Ichigo wasn’t this oblivious. “ **I can’t manifest in this state King! I’m too weak. And even if I did what would be the point, there is nothing for me out there** ”

The teen ignored the hollows words and turned to his Zanpakuto. “Zangetsu is there a way we can get Shiro out of here?”

Peering over his dark glasses, the bearded man thought for a long moment. “I think there is, You would need to used my blade as object to draw his power and from here I will have to pass him through me and out into the real world” 

The black of Shiro’s eyes became more visible as they widened largely. Surely his King and the old man had lost their minds! Zangetsu must know that to pass another soul through him would be extremely painful and could even leave him injured. “ **You two can’t seriously think that I’m just going to sit back and let you force me out of here!”**

Turning to his hollow Ichigo gave him a sad smile. “I’m not letting you die Shi. No matter what it costs.” The teen turned back to Zangetsu and nodded his head. In a split second the Zanpakuto had flash stepped behind the hollow and wrapped his arms around the weakened body. Shiro attempted to struggle but was easily over powered by the taller form. “I’ll go and concentrate on drawing him out of here. I leave the rest to you” 

Brown eyes snapped open and he took in the sight that surrounded him, he was back in the cavern and he could sense that everyone was still asleep. Ichigo let out a deep sigh and got up onto his feet, he picked up Zangetsu and made his way to the narrow passage that led to the open sands of the desert. Once he was out side the teen took a quick look around, he was relieved that ne could not sense any danger nearby. Taking in a deep breath the Alpha rose his sword and held it out like he would when he preformed his Bankai. He concentrated on the sharp point of Zangetsu blade and pushed his energy towards it. 

The surge of black reiatsu erupted from the tip of the blade and Ichigo heard both Zangetsu and Shiro scream in pain from inside his head. He nearly stopped but he knew if he did then he would loose his hollow forever. Suddenly the raging reiatsu began to form and slowly Shiro manifested right in front of him. Once the albino was completely formed he collapsed onto the sand beneath him. Ichigo dropped Zangetsu from its out stretched position and momentarily turned his attention inwards ‘ _Zan are you ok?_ ’

He heard the old man gasping for breath before he weakly replied. ‘I am fine Ichigo, I just used a lot of energy. I will recover soon but right now Shiro needs your attention’. The teen nodded and gently placed his blade down on the ground and stepped forward. He crouched down next to the panting hollow and gently placed his hand on the albinos shoulder. “Shi, how are you feeling?”

Snarling up at his King, Shiro used what little strength he had to push the teens hand from his body and crawled backwards slightly. “ **Don’t fucking touch me! Why did you do this, I told you it was pointless! I can never go back now King! Your inner world was my home, it was the one place I belonged now I can’t…** ” Not wanting to be any weaker that he already was the hollow scrunched his eyes closed and refused to let a tear slip. He wanted to hate his King for forcing him out of the only place he had ever really known. Yet he could never bring himself to hate the kind hearted Alpha.

Ichigo was surprised by Shiro’s reaction, why wasn’t the hollow happy to be alive? Why was he so distraught? “Shiro talk to me. You know I would never let anyone I care about die. Why is it so bad to be out here instead of in my head?”

His entire body slumped from exhaustion, Shiro really didn’t want to talk about this now. He had never admitted it to anyone, even himself, but his biggest fear had always been being separated from his King. Ichigo was all he had ever know since he came into existence, he had watched the boy grow from being a little cry baby who lost his mother to the incredibly strong man that stood before him now. His entire world revolved around helping his King get stronger and protect those he loved, but he had never considered what he would do when he no longer had that purpose. Yes out here he could still help the teen but it would never be the same. He was now just another tag along that Ichigo would feel the need to protect rather than a useful partner that drove him to be stronger. Shiro felt like he would have rather lost his life than lost his purpose. 

“ **I don’t wanna talk now K… Ichigo. You’ve saved my life now you can leave me, you need to go and protect your mate and friends** ” Shiro spoke tiredly, he really didn’t have the strength to do anything other than sit here in the sand and wallow in pity. 

Ichigo stared down at the hollow and felt his chest tighten. Had he really been so wrong to save the one who had saved him so many times? The teen refused to believe it, he would have done the same thing a thousand times over if it meant Shiro would continue to live. Just as he was about to get closer to the albino he felt a presence appear behind him, looking over his shoulder he realized Byakuya had emerged from inside the cavern. 

The noble had woken when he felt a large expenditure of familiar reiatsu coming from just outside the cavern. Byakuya wondered if Ichigo had felt a threat and had gone out to fight it, silently he checked on the sleeping members of their group and a small smile had claimed his lips when he had seen how Renji had protectively curled up around Ichigo’s mate. Once he had established that everyone was safe and still sleeping he made his way to the narrow entrance. He peered out of the small hole and noticed that Ichigo was stood over the white version of himself who was sat in the sand looking very differently from when the noble had first met the hollow. 

Byakuya wondered for a moment if he should leave them alone but something about this situation told him he should intervene. “Ichigo, its my turn to stand guard”

The teen looked at the noble for a moment before he nodded his head. “Thank you Byakuya” Ichigo turned his attention back to Shiro who was looking down at the sand with a blank expression. “Shiro I’m not going to leave you out here. Come on, let’s get back inside” He watched as the albino refused to look him in the eye and tried to struggle to his feet. With a light sigh the Alpha moved to hollows side and gently pulled his pale arm over his shoulder. He waited for Shiro to protests but when the albino remained silent Ichigo simply guided him to the entrance. 

It took a bit of painful squeezing to get himself and Shiro through the narrow entrance but eventually they made it into the heart of the cavern that acted as their camp. Byakuya had followed them in and pulled open the tent flap as Ichigo aided his hollow inside it. Once the albino was sat inside the tent the teen turned to the noble “Thank you. I know it’s earlier than we agreed but I need to make sure he’s going to be ok” The Captain gave him a small smile before he left them alone. 

Climbing into the small tent he noticed that Shiro had laid himself down on the mat and had his back facing the teen. Ichigo wanted to ask how he could help, but right now it seemed that the best thing to do was to let the albino adjust. The Alpha removed loosened his obi and slipped out of his kusode, he flopped down next to his hollow and stared up at the darkened material of the tent. He waited a few minutes and listened as Shiro’s breathing evened out, indicating that he had finally fallen asleep. ‘ _Zan are you awake?_ ’ The teen asked inside his head.

After a few minutes Ichigo finally got a reply from his Zanpakuto. ‘ _Yes I’m awake Ichigo'._

The teen let out a deep breath before asking the question that had been running around his head. ‘ _Why do you think Shiro was so upset about being saved? I’ve never seen him like this. It’s almost like he wanted to die?’_

‘ _It’s hard to say. Shiro has had consciousness a lot longer than I have. From what little he has told me, I believe he has been with you since you were a small child. I don’t know him well enough to know how he thinks’_ Zangetsu sounded almost sad as he spoke.

Ichigo was shocked to hear just how long Shiro had been a part of him. He had always thought that both Zangetsu and Shiro had been brought into existence when he had gained his Soul Reaper powers, but it seemed Shiro had been with him for a lot longer that that. The teen began to wonder if he had any memories from his child hood that may have indicated the hollows presence. Eventually the Alpha drifted off to sleep with that thought playing on his mind.

**********

Light foot steps of the young child padded against the steps as he slowly made his way up to his bed room. All day he had put on a brave face for his father and younger sisters and he was emotionally drained. His usually vibrant orange hair was now limp and damp from being stood in the rain. Once he reached his room he robotically went to his draws and pulled out a pair of blue and green pajamas, with a little difficulty he loosened of the white tie that was around his neck and pulled it from the black dress shirt his father had made him wear. It took him a while but he undid all the buttons on the shirt and slipped it off and neatly folded it. 

Ten minutes later a nine year old Ichigo is dressed in his pajamas and he climbs in to bed. From the silence of his room he can hear his sisters soft sobbing from their room directly next to his and their father attempting to calm them. As he lay there in his bed staring at the ceiling with his comforter pulled up to his chin the boy finally allowed himself to cry. 

Today had been his mother’s funeral, it was only five days after her death but apparently the grown ups had decided it was time to say good bye to her. All through out the day Ichigo had not shed a single tear as he didn’t want to upset his baby sisters more than they already were. Now that he was alone and knowing that his mother wouldn’t be opening his door to kiss him good night finally broke the child’s walls. He pulled the comforter up to cover his mouth and nose than let out his muffled sobs.

The young child continued to sob quietly and hoped no one would hear him. Suddenly out of no where he heard a soft gravely voice call too him. ‘ **Ichigo, why are ya crying**?’

Watery honey brown eyes snapped open widely and he looked around his room in search of the one who spoke. “W-who’s there?” The childs voice was low and quiet. 

‘ **I’m here** ’ The voice replied just as softly as before, making the child extremely confused. 

“Where are you? What’s your name?” Ichigo asked now wondering if he was dreaming.

‘ **I’m inside you King. I’m not sure why I’m here but I don’t like it when you cry, it rains when you cry. I don’t know if I have a name** ’ The was actually coming from inside his head. Ichigo wondered if he had gone insane. 

“Have I gone mad. Tatsuki said that mad people have voices in their head” The orange haired child felt surprisingly at ease speaking with this strange voice.

 **‘No King your not mad. I am very real and I’m here to help you. Now why don’t you tell me why you were crying** ’ The voice asked. 

Ichigo decided that he really didn’t want to be alone right now and this voice seemed friendly. He sniffed and answered the voices question “My mother died and its my fault. If I hadn’t gone to save that girl my mother would still be alive. I’m sure she would hate me for what I’ve done”

The voice suddenly sounded angry. ‘ **She would never hate you King, your mother loved you with all her heart. She would be angry that you are thinking that’**

For at least an hour Ichigo talked with the voice in his head. He told it what all about his favorite things to do with his mum were and how much he loved her cooking. The voice listened and laughed with him and finally the child decided on a name for his new friend. “Hey I think I have a name for you since you don’t have one”

The voice hummed ‘ **What is it King?’**

“Can I call Yujo? It means friend” Ichigo’s was a little nervous that the voice wouldn’t like the name he had chosen.

The voice was silent for several minutes before it finally answered. ‘ **Yujo huh. I like it, I like being your friend Ichigo** ’ 

After that Ichigo spoke to Yujo when ever he was sad. The voice would help him remember the good times with his mother and cheer him up even when his real friends couldn’t. As he grew older and his life moved on Ichigo spent less and less time talking with Yujo until eventually the voice would simply be thought off as an imaginary friend that he created to help him deal with the trauma of loosing his mother


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG I can't believe how long it has been since I last updated this. I have had a rough few months with the pandemic and the loss of my grandma. I am not giving up on this fic and will see it through to the end, it just might take me longer than I had originally planned. This chapter is a bit short but I hope you lovelies enjoy it <3
> 
> RRL x

Honey brown eyes snapped open as the images from his childhood flashed through his mind. He never would have imagined that Yujo, the voice in his head that had help him survive the loss of his mother, had always been Shiro. Ichigo looked down from where he was lay and realized that the hollow had shifted in his sleep and was now tucked against his side. He couldn’t help but chuckle, why was it that no matter who he slept next to, they always ended up cuddling against him. The teen reached out through his mate bond and was pleased to discover that Grimmjow was still sleeping which hopefully meant that Renji was sleeping as well. 

As much as the Alpha didn’t want to disturb Shiro, Ichigo knew he had to get up and make sure everyone else was ok. He tried his best to move without waking the albino but just as he had been able to remove the pale arm that had been around his waist, gold on black eyes flickered open and stared at him. Those eyes were filled with confusion at first but panic soon took over, Shiro sat up quickly and looked around the tent. The teen heard the hollow curse loudly before he slumped forward and rested his head in pale hands. 

Shiro let out a deep breath and wished it had all been a bad dream. Ichigo being the protector he was just had to go a save him by dragging him out here even though this was the last thing in the world that he wanted. 

The Alpha watched as the albino for a moment before he knew he had to pull his hollow out of his self misery. The teen took in a breath and spoke softly. “Shiro, we need to talk. I understand your upset about not being able to return to my inner world, but I don’t get why you would rather die than live outside of my head. I thought this is what you wanted and why you started materializing in the first place” 

Rowling his eyes Shiro looked up and his King, could he even call him that anymore? He really didn’t want to have to explain himself. Spending years alone with no one but the thoughts of a child, then teenager made it very hard for the albino to express how he was feeling. **“I told you last night, I don’t wanna talk. Can’t you just accept that not everyone needs you to protect them? I certainly didn’t and now I’m stuck out here.** **I know I can’t change what happened but I need some time to get my head around this, K… Ichigo”**

Ichigo looked sadly and the pale version of himself and sighed. He didn’t think leaving Shiro alone was the best idea but he didn’t really have any other choice. “Fine I’ll leave you alone for now, I need to tell the others about what happened anyway. But we do need to talk about this Shiro. I probably know more about what’s going on than you think” With that said he crawled to the entrance of the tent and looked over his shoulder one last time before stepping out into the inner cavern that was once his mates' den. 

Rising to his feet the Alpha looked around, Byakuya was sat cross-legged on his Captains robe that he had laid out on the floor in the middle of the tents and was reading one of the books he had brought with him. Everyone else seemed to still be sleeping in their tents. Stretching out his tired muscles Ichigo stepped over to the noble and sat down on the sand next to him. “Thank you for last night, It’s a long story but Shiro has been forced to separate from me. He's still a little weak from the whole thing but I think he will be fine. Did anything happen while I was asleep?” 

Byakuya put his page marker into his book before he closed it and rested it down on his robe. “Not really. I sensed a few hollows approaching in this direction but they didn’t come close. I take it that whatever has happened to make your hollow powers change has also affected Shiro?” 

The teen nodded “Yes for some reason my powers have evolved and he was no longer needed to keep them under control. My core was slowly absorbing him so the only way to save him was to pull him out. He’s not exactly happy with me for that but I couldn’t let him die, not after all he has done for me” 

A confused look crossed Byakuya’s face for a moment but he decided not to dwell on the teens' last word. He turned to look at the tents and decided to change the subject. “All of them have slept through the night and should be waking soon. We need to plan our next move. Personally, I think we should stay here for a few days and between us go a scout the area. We still don’t know how far away Las Noches is or if there are any dangers lurking nearby” 

Ichigo nodded in agreement, as much as he wanted to just burst straight into Aizen’s palace and kick the bastards' skull in, he knew that would only put everyone else in danger. Both the captain and the substitute spoke about possible strategies for a little while before Ichigo decided that it was time to make some food. Thankfully Urahara had been prepared and had sent enough MRE’s to feed all of them for at least several months, and also being the genius that he was, Kisuke had even figured out how to send both tea and coffee. It took him several minutes to select which meals he would heat up for breakfast and to set up the water heater to make enough tea and coffee for everyone. 

Just as the camping kettle whistled indicating the water had boiled Uryuu and Chad emerged from their tent. They instantly joined Byakuya, who had offered his robe as a place to sit, and accepted their food and hot drink of choice. Not long after Rukia crept out looking like she had fought with a Vasto Lorde in her sleep, her hair was as crazy as Renji’s and her Shihakusho was in complete disarray. He brother was the only one brave enough to inform her of her dishevelled look, making the woman blush and run back to her tent to neaten herself up. When she rejoined them she happily took the food and cup of tea that Byakuya had personally made for her. 

It was close to an hour passing when Ichigo began to worry that neither Grimm nor Renji had woken which was amazing since the amount of noise that was being made by Uryuu and Rukia exchanging embarrassing story’s. The teen crept over to the Betas tent and pulled open the fabric that covered the entrance when he peered inside he almost fell over from the need to laugh. At some point the while they slept the pregnant males had moved from their original places and were now in the strangest position. Renji was laying on his back and had stretched out like a starfish, but the funniest was Grimmjow. Living up to his feline nature, the blunette had moved to the furthest end of the tent and was completely curled around the tattooed Soul Reapers head just like a house cat. 

Quietly the teen caught Byakuya’s attention and waved the man over the noble looked confused for a second but got to his feet and came over. Ichigo pointed inside the tent and watched as the captain peered inside. The Alpha swore he had never seen a smile that wide on the usually stoic man’s face before and he doubted he would see one again. Before he had a chance to speak, blue eyes fluttered open and Grimmjow stretched his sleep stiffened muscles, the movement instantly woke the redhead. 

Ichigo gave the waking Betas a few minutes to come round before he spoke. “Morning sleepy heads, it’s time to get up guys. Foods going cold” 

Grimmjow was the first to fully awaken, he unwrapped himself from around Renji’s head and crawled gracefully towards his mate. Ichigo helped him to his feet and a wonderfully familiar scent filled his nose. “Is that coffee?” He looked over to the three sitting together and noticed a steaming cup in the tallest teens hands. Eyes focused on the source of his desire, the feline practically ran over to the human, thankfully Chad had been made aware of Grimmjow’s love of the bitter beverage and had already prepared a cup for the blunette. Once he was handed his favourite drink the feline sat down next to the tanned teen and happily hummed as he took his first sip. 

The redhead had taken a little longer to adjust to waking and had slid from the tent rubbing his eyes. He looked around at the small cavern, finally, his eyes fixed on the regal form of his captain who was looking directly at him with a strange look of fondness in his eyes. Renji rose to his feet and twisted his upper body to release the aching coming from his back. “Captain, What’s going on? Why were we sleeping for so long?” 

Without any warning, Byakuya suddenly stepped closer and began rubbing the redheads lower back. Renji’s whole body stiffened for a moment before he relaxed into the gentle touch. His mind went blank as he felt all the tension leave his spine, he barely hears the noble as he spoke. 

“Everything is fine Renji, We left you sleeping because both of you were exhausted after yesterday’s journey through the Garganta” Byakuya had acted purely out of instinct as he saw his subordinate in pain from his aching muscles. He had regularly aided Hisana with such problems and had become quite familiar with ways of massaging tight and knotted muscles. He finally realized what he was doing when Renji went completely lax and leaned back so that he was resting against the captain's chest. A small smile crept onto Byakuya’s lips and continued the massage for a few more minutes before he had to make sure the redhead remained awake. “Come Renji, Ichigo has prepared food for us” It didn’t take much effort to guide the dazed man to the group that were all sitting on his captain's robe. 

The teen watched with an amused smile as Grimmjow devoured his second cup of coffee and three of the MRE’s. It was great to see that his mate was becoming more confident and stronger. He felt a swell of pride fill his chest, he would admit he still didn’t understand the whole Alpha, Beta, mating thing and wanted to learn more. Ichigo moved to the group and sat himself down next to the feline, who had just happily finished his third cup of coffee. As he looked around at the odd group surrounding him a similar feeling of pride filled him. 

After Ichigo had left the tent, Shiro had laid on his side and took in the strange silence. During his entire existence, the hollow had always had some form of sound around him, either his Kings thoughts or even the teen's heartbeat. But now his head was too quiet, he couldn’t hear anything. As he lay there he had never felt so alone in all his life. Finally, after almost an hour Shiro couldn’t stand the silence any longer, he slowly crawled to the entrance to the tent and weakly pulled himself out. As he found his feet and looked around the cavern. He took in the sight of his King surrounded by what could only be described his pack. 

Ichigo had been silently watching the group integrating. Uryuu and Chad continued their conversation from yesterday, Rukia having joined in with her own theory’s. Renji was leaning against Byakuya’s shoulder and was looking a little spaced out, but the redhead seemed relaxed so he wasn’t going to question it. Grimm had shifted closer to him and was now fiddling with Zangetsu’s ribbon. A strange sense of calm washed over him, the only way he could describe it was that he felt like he was were he was meant to be but something was missing. A slight movement caught his eye and the teen looked over his shoulder, he noticed Shiro standing just outside the tent he had been sleeping in looking a little nervous. 

“Hey Shi, Are you hungry? There’s plenty of food” As he spoke the rest of the group followed his line of sight and everyone was suddenly staring at the hollow. A strange tightness gripped the teen's chest, it was a little like how he felt Grimm’s emotions through their mate bond but was slightly different. Just from looking into the albinos gold on black eyes, Ichigo could tell that Shiro was extremely anxious being the focus of everyone’s attention. Hoping not to escalate his pale copy’s nervousness the Alpha simply patted the empty spot next to him. 

As all eyes focused on him, Shiro suddenly felt like the freak in the circus. He didn’t belong here. When his King patted the space next to him, the albino suddenly felt compelled to move. Taking small steps the hollow slowly reached the empty space next to the Alpha and sat himself down awkwardly. It seemed that now that they were separated, Ichigo’s status as Alpha was able to affect him. It might be time to tell the teen exactly what it meant to be an Alpha hollow. A hot cup of tea was suddenly placed in his hands by his King. He stared down at it and took a tentative sip, even though he had only ever had the warm beverage once he was surprised by how much he enjoyed feeling the liquid slip down his throat. 

Blue eyes watched curiously as the albino settled down on the other side of his mate. Something seemed completely different about the other hollow this time. During their previous encounters, Grimmjow had sensed that Shiro was extremely powerful and his spiritual energy was almost identical to the orange-haired teen’s, the only difference was that it radiated pure hollow. But now his power was nearly completely depleted and his reiatsu levels were almost none existent. The feline wished he had learned the ability to read a beings soul core so that he could see exactly what was different about the copy of his mate. 

Once everyone had finally finished their meals and drinks, Chad happily cleaned up with the help of Rukia. Byakuya was the first one to bring up the need to plan their next move now that they had a suitable hiding place. Uryuu volunteered to go by himself to explore the nearby area but Ichigo expressed that he didn’t want anyone going out alone. Being the only one that actually knew the terrain Grimmjow explained that the reason why he used this place as his den back when he was an Adjuchas was because of how few hollows there were in this part of Hueco Mundo. He told them that to get to Las Noches they would have to pass through the Menos forest then through the desert that was filled Sand Guardians that were under Aizen’s orders to protect the fortress. 

The discussion started off well with each person having their input but things started going downhill when Ichigo, Byakuya and Uryuu began to disagree on how they were going to get into Las Noches once they arrived. It didn’t take long for the argument to escalate and soon enough the two teens were yelling at each other and the noble was firmly injecting his opinion. The others watched the three strong personalities clash, all of them not wanting to interrupt. Grimmjow and Renji were surprisingly calm during the loud shouting. The argument was brought to a sudden end when the leader of the group had finally had enough of the squabbling. “Right, I’ve had enough of this. As of tomorrow, we’re heading towards Las Noches, we will travel in two groups. Tomorrow Rukia, Byakuya and Uryuu will go ahead of the rest of us and find a clear path through the Menos Forest” 

Both Byakuya and Uryuu looked like they were going to protests but Ichigo glared at them and felt his throat let out a deep growl. The noble and Quincy physically shuddered at the sound before they backed down and nodded that they would follow his plan. The teen let out a deep breath, he didn’t know why he just growled at his companions but if he had known it would shut them up he would have done it sooner. Ichigo looked around at the rest of the group and realized they were all staring at him, as though they were waiting for something. It made the substitute feel a little uneasy but he still spoke. “Now that we have sorted that out, we can spend the rest of today resting and getting everything together. Chad can you make sure that all the supply’s are accounted for” The taller teen nodded to the Alpha. 

For some reason, the orange-haired teen suddenly felt a strange sensation ripple through his body. Slowly he rose to his feet and announced he needed a moment to himself and headed to the tent that Shiro had been sleeping in. He pulled the fabric aside and flopped down on the padded flooring. His body felt as though a light current of electricity was running over every nerve ending. Taking in several deep breaths, Ichigo slowly calmed himself and the sensation gradually faded. Ichigo had no idea what had just happened to him but he would have to deal with it another time. 

The sound of the tents entrance moving pulled him out of his thoughts and Ichigo turned to face whoever had disturbed him. As he looked over the teen instantly relaxed when he saw the wild blue hair along with his mate's concerned face. “Ichi, are you ok? I felt something strange through the bond” 

Ichigo nodded his head and waved his mate inside the tent. “I’m fine Grimm, just felt a little funny that’s all” Grimmjow crawled into the tent and sat down next to the teen. The Alpha sighed and flopped himself backwards so that he was laid down on his back and held his arms open. “Come here babe, I’m exhausted and need a nap” The feline still looked worried but complied with his mate's request and laid down beside the teen. Ichigo gave his Beta a light tug so that the blunette was resting against his chest, it didn’t take long before the pregnant Beta dozed off, leaving Ichigo with his thoughts. 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait lovelies. Still dealing with a lot at the moment so I don't get much time to relax and write. I have kept you all waiting long enough so please enjoy.

In the following days, the group packed up their camp and left Grimmjow’s old den. As Ichigo had planned, Byakuya led Rukia and Uryuu ahead of the others and made sure that the path they took through the Menos forest was clear of hollows. Each night they set up a basic camp in the safest possible area and planned for the next day’s journey. 

The sleeping arrangements had changed slightly, Ichigo now shared a tent with both Grimmjow and Shiro while Renji agreed to share one with Byakuya. The two soul reapers had silently fallen into a routine that neither of them seemed to notice. Byakuya would advance the scouting party and when the two groups would meet to set up camp Renji would help prepare the meals while the noble directed the others putting up the tents. They would sit side by side while they ate and chatted idly with each other before it was time to sleep. They would both go to bed at the same time and lie back to back but each time they woke Renji would be tucked against Byakuya’s chest and the captain would protectively embrace his lieutenant. 

Before they had left their first camp Ichigo had insisted that Shiro talk to him. The hollow had been extremely reluctant but eventually gave in when his King had unknowingly used his Alpha influence to push the albino into speaking. Shiro had admitted that due to their separation his body was still adjusting. Now that his soul core was no longer connected to Ichigo’s, it was in a state of flux meaning that his core needed to stabilize and once it did, he would need to regain his power. It would take some time, but he hoped that he would fully regain his strength soon. One thing that Shiro did manage to hide from the Alpha was his mental anguish and pain.

Four days had passed since they had entered Hueco Mundo and the rescue party had journeyed deep into the Menos Forest. So far, they had managed to travel with few problems. While Byakuya, Rukia and Uryuu went on in advance to find the clearest path, Ichigo and Chad stayed behind to protect the weaker members. Due to Grimmjow’s and Renji’s pregnancy’s their bodies were weaker and wouldn’t be much use in a fight. As much as he didn’t want to admit it Shiro was weak, he still hadn’t recovered from the separation and was growing more frustrated with himself. 

On the fifth morning Ichigo had seen that Byakuya was looking physically exhausted. The noble had obviously not been getting a lot of rest. The teen decided that he would take over the scouting with Chad and Uryuu, who insisted that he was more useful fighting hollows. 

Before they left Ichigo pulled Grimmjow away from the others and out of sight. The feline looked confused when his mate took his hand and guided away from their camp. Once they were far enough away Grimm opened his mouth to ask what the hell was going on but was suddenly pinned up against a tree. Teel eyes widened for a split second before his lips were passionately claimed by his Alphas, the blunette instantly melted against the strong teen that held him and allowed Ichigo enter his mouth with that amazingly skilled tongue that seemed to get more confident each time they made out. 

Ichigo ran the moist muscle over each fang inside his mates’ mouth before he wrestled the felines tongue into submission. As he ravished his Betas mouth, the teens hands roamed over every inch of available flesh. The blunette let out a muffled whine when nimble fingers dug into his hips and pulled him closer. Claws dug into the Alphas shoulder blades as the deep kiss lasted longer than should have been possible without taking a breath. Grimm was the one to break the passionate lip lock when the need for air finally grew to great, the feline lent his head forward resting against Ichigo’s chest as he gasped for breath. The teen grinned and gently rubbed his mates back. “Sorry about that babe, it’s just been so long since I tasted you, I couldn’t hold back any longer”

It took Grimmjow a few moments to calm his rapidly beating heart and catch his breath. If this was the results of a few days with out being intimate with his mate, then he didn’t know whether he should look forward to or dread how his Alpha would be after a few weeks. Which is how long it would probably take them to get to Las Noches at the slow pace they were traveling at. Once he was finally able to breath the feline softly spoke. “It’s ok Ichi, I miss being alone with you. Are you sure about going?”

The teen gave his mate a sad smile and nodded his head. “I have to Grimm, Byakuya looks ready to collapse so he needs a chance to recover. It will be fine there have only been a few Menos and a few weaker hollows to deal with so far” He placed a quick peck on the blunettes lips and released his hold on the felines hips. “Come on, I’ve got to go” Ichigo led the Beta back to the group and was given a knowing look from Shiro. 

Half an hour later Ichigo gave Grimm another quick kiss and told his mate to stay safe. The Alpha gave Byakuya his instructions to follow his reiatsu trail and if they should run into danger then he was to send out a distress flare of his own spiritual pressure. Once everything was sorted the orange haired teen led his two human friends out into the forest. 

Ichigo had to admit it was nice to be able to run at full speed with out having to worry about anyone else for a bit. It had been weeks since he had just been able to let go. Chad and Uryuu kept up with him as he leapt from branch to branch along the canopy of the forest. With out having Grimm and the others to look after Ichigo finally had chance to fully take in this strange place, the strange trees that seemed dead but were filled with reishi, the never-ending night, the small creatures that looked like rats and lizards. It was all so different yet some how he felt completely comfortable being in this place. 

After several hours of constantly jumping from one treetop to another, so far they had only come across a small group of Menos that had easily been killed by Zangetsu’s blade. Ichigo decided it was time to take a break and jumped down to the ground, Uryuu and Chad joining him. The Quincy was looking a little more tired than he was letting on and his taller friend seemed happy to finally have a chance to rest. Ichigo dropped the small bag that was on his back and opened it up, he pulled out three foil covered home made energy bars that he had brought and offered them to his friends. “Here, there Yuzu’s special recipe” 

Both Chad and Uryuu took the offered snack and unwrapped them from the foil and took a bite. The Quincy was the only one that hadn’t tasted the youngest Kurosaki’s homemade snack and couldn’t hold back the groan of pleasure from the sweet taste. “Wow Ichigo, your younger sister made this? It’s amazing. How does she make them?” 

The teen smiled with pride “I don’t know the exact recipe, but I know she uses dried fruit, honey and sugar. Yuzu started making them for dad when he was working late in the clinic and since then we all loved them, so she makes them at least three times a week” Ichigo was extremely proud of both his baby sisters and for the first time since starting this journey he realized just how much he missed them. He knew for them hardly a day would have passed but it finally sank in that he may not see them for months. 

Before the Substitute Soul Reaper could dwell on that thought any longer a loud high-pitched scream filled the air. The three humans share a worried look then ran in the direction that the scream came from. They leapt into the trees and moved as fast as they could. A few minutes later they saw several large Menos along with a pack of at least seven Adjuchas encircling around something. Ichigo stopped in a nearby tree and held his hand up telling the other two to hold their positions. He hoped down a few branches to get a closer look at what the pack of hollows were doing. 

He watched closely, two of the Adjuchas parted and revealed a small, cloaked figure that looked exactly like a child. It was when one of the hollows struck the child with a large fist, sending the small figure flying into one of the others, when Ichigo immediately decided to intervene. The Alpha grabbed ahold of Zangetsu’s hilt and unsheathed it from its wrapping, he jumped from the branch he was perched on and zeroed in on the nearest hollow. The large blade pierced the hollow turned back and it let out a wail of pain as Ichigo sliced all the way down the creature’s spine. Once his feet touched the ground the Adjuchas he had attacked fell forward as black blood flowed from its torn flesh. 

The pack of hollows froze in their actions and turned to face the Soul Reaper. There was a moment of silence before several of the hollow roared loudly and rushed towards the teen. Ichigo had to roll his eyes at such an obvious move and with two strikes decapitated the attacking Adjuchas. He heard a loud voice shout. “Menos Attack” The large dumb beasts moved and opened their mouths, Ceros beginning to charge. There was a flash of light and thousands of white arrows flew, piercing the Menos causing the lumbering giants to fire their Ceros in random directions. 

While the Menos were distracted Ichigo leapt into the air with Zangetsu positions above his head. “Getsuga Tensho!” He roared and let loose the white blaze of power, the Getsuga sliced through every Menos, shearing them half. When the teen returned to the ground the remaining Adjuchas had turned tail and were running away. The Alpha felt the urge to hunt them down but was distracted when he heard the muffled whimper coming from the small, cloaked figure. 

Ichigo stared at the quivering figure for a few seconds before impaling the tip of Zangetsu’s blade into the ground. Slowly he approached the small, cloaked mound that was shaking and whimpering. “Hey are you ok?” The Alpha kept his voice low and soft in an attempt to not cause the figure further fear. Slowly the torn cloak that covered the small person moved and revealed a mess of green hair that was covered by and Arrancar mask and wide watery hazel eyes of a small child. Her bottom lip was quivering, and her eyes were fixed on his. The small child shifted backwards when Ichigo tried to inch closer to her. “It’s ok, I’m not gonna hurt you. What’s your name?”

The green haired child whimpered again but quietly answered his question. “M-my names… Nel” 

The teen smiled warmly “Hi Nel, I’m Ichigo. What are you doing out here all by your self and why were those Hollows attacking you?” Ichigo slowly lifted his hands to show her he was unarmed but this action caused the small girl to flinch away in fear. “Hey Nel, I’m not going to hurt you, don’t be scared of me”

Nel shivered a few times before looking up at the orange haired person in front of her. She had never seen anything like this man in front of her before; he had strange colored hair, a huge sword and had killed those Adjuchas like they were nothing. “I-I was playing hide and seek with my brothers… but Ragnar and his pack found Nel first… Ragnar hates Nel and is always beating Nel up”

The Alpha was a bit confused by Nel addressing herself in first person. It seemed that which ever one of those hollows that was named Ragnar, was the leader of that pack. “Ok then Nel how about I help you find your brothers and if Ragnar shows up again, I’ll beat his ass so bad he will never come near you again”.

The green haired child stared at the stranger in shock. Nel stayed put for a moment and sniffed the air. The scent of Alpha filled her nostrils and she followed it straight to the orange haired man. She tilted her head in confusion, Itsygo didn’t look like an Alpha, not that she had met many Alphas but the few she had seen from a distance were large and radiated power. “Itsygo… Why do you smell like a Alpha?”

Ichigo was taken a back by the sudden question and the strange name she called him. “I didn’t know Alphas smelled but I guess I smell like one because I am an Alpha… I don’t really know how or why I’m one, but I am” 

Now it was Nel’s turn to be confused. How did Itsygo not know how or why he was an Alpha. He was really strange. The small child jumped backwards when two more strangers appeared behind the orange haired man, they both looked scary. Acting on instinct Nel ran forward and wrapped herself around Itsygo’s leg. 

The teen looked down at the child hugging his leg before turning back to look at his friends who had the worse timing. “Good going guys, scare the hell out of a child why don’t you!” Ichigo glared between Uryuu and Chad. The Quincy glared straight back and pointed an accusatory finger at the Soul Reaper.

“You’re the one who left us in that tree with out saying anything to us Ichigo! How were we supposed to know what you wanted us to do? Look we’ve saved the kid now we need to get moving, we need to find a safe place to camp before Byakuya and the others catch up” Uryuu’s calmed down by the end of his rant.

Ichigo had to admit the Quincy was right, the others would be catching up soon and no doubt had sensed his little battle with those Adjuchas. Grimmjow was probably worrying about him now. The teen sighed and gently rested a hand on the shaking child’s back. “Nel, these are my friends. The grumpy one with glasses is Uryuu and the tall quiet guy is Chad, they won’t hurt you either. Nel do you know where your brothers are, we will take you too them but then we need to find somewhere safe to camp for the night” The teen then ruffled her hair and smiled down at her.

Nel felt a sudden wave of warmness wash was over her, she knew Alphas wouldn’t intentionally harm a unrelated cub like her but she had never heard of one purposely helping a cub. She tightened her grip on Itsygo’s leg and nuzzled against his shin. “Nel not know what camp mean but Nels is safe and her brothers will probably be there. Come Nel show Itsygo and friends how to get to den” She reached up and grabbed Itsygos hand and began to pull him. 

The teen really didn’t understand why Nel spoke like that. He allowed the small girl to pull him a short distance. “Hold on Nel I need to grab Zangetsu before we go any where” Ichigo slipped his hand from Nel’s grip and ran back to where he had left his Zanpakuto, he quickly rewrapped it in the protective cloth and placed it on his back. With everything accounted for he walked back to the green haired child and slowly reached down and hooked his hand under her arm pits and lifted her up. “Is ok if I carry you, we will get to your den a lot quicker if I do” He felt Nel nod her head and lifted her up the rest of the way until she sat on his left shoulder. 

It took them a lot longer than they hoped to reach Nel’s den as it seemed the girl had just a bad sense of direction as Yachiru and had fallen asleep on Ichigo’s shoulders once she had finally pointed out the exact location they were looking for. The den was actually a large cave that was high up on in the rock face that surrounded the forest. As they got closer to the rock formation that housed the entrance, they heard a deep voice shout. “UWAHHHH!! NEL!!!!” Suddenly two strange looking hollows descended from the cave, one was skinny with a purple skin, a ridiculous loin cloth and a bug shaped mask. The other had a huge head and stocky body with large hands and feet and was covered with black spots. 

Ichigo and the other humans froze as the two hollows landed on the ground and suddenly started to charge at them. “Give Nel back to us you evil fiends!” The skinny hollow yelled as they got closer. Before the orange haired teen could react, Chad stepped in front of him and as soon as the hollows were about to pounce, he pulled back his fist and punched the big one straight on the nose. The injured hollow instantly cried out in pain and began to roll around on the floor with tears streaming from his eyes. 

The familiar sound of her big brothers cry woke Nel from her peaceful slumber. She opened her eyes and saw Dondochaka holding his nose and Peshe flapping over him. “Peshe, Chaka! Nel’s is home” The child shouted almost deafening Itsygo. She leapt form the Alphas shoulders and ran too her brothers. Peche forgot about his assaulted older brother the moment he heard Nel’s voice and ran to embrace the little girl.

“Nel we’ve been so worried about you. We searched the forest for hours, but we couldn’t find you. What happened? Are you hurt? Who are these strangers?!” Peshe crouched down onto one knee and pulled away to look his sister in the eyes.

Nel smiled widely and happily answered. “Nel was found by Ragwar and his pack, he beat Nel up. This is Itsygo and his friends. Itsygo is an Alpha, he saved Nel and helped Nel come home. They need to stay safe tonight so Nel said they can stay with us” 

All three humans watched with exasperated faces as the Nel continued to talk in first person and confused the hell out of everyone listening to her. Ichigo was sure if he could see the skinny hollows eyes, they would be wide with disbelief, the bug like hollow leaned closer to the child and whispered into her ear before Nel would return the gesture. The soul reaper finally got tired of watching the little comedy sketch and butted in. “Sorry to interrupt you guys but can we stay here or not, we have to meet up with the rest of our group soon” He watched for a moment longer as Nel whispered angrily into the side of skinny hollows mask. 

“Nel says Itsygo can stay!” Nel finally shouted aloud. Dondochaka finally had recovered from Chad’s punch and had joined in on the conversation. Both of the green haired child’s older siblings had tried to convince her to tell the strangers to go away but Nel was being stubborn as always and refused. Peshe let out a loud sigh and finally gave in knowing it was pointless. “Fine they can stay… but only if they promise not to snore! Dondochaka’s snoring is bad enough!” Peshe said loud enough for the strangers to hear. 

The three humans looked at each other and sighed in unison, having now met Nel’s ‘brothers’ they wished they could refuse the offer but as it was almost night now and they were in serious need of finding a safe place to camp for the night they were out of options. Ichigo stepped forward and spoke to the two hollows that he still didn’t know the names of. “I really appreciate you letting us stay. We will only be here until morning.” He turned to his friends. “Guys sorry but I need you both to stay here and find the best place to set up the tents. I’ll head back and find the others and bring them here” The orange haired teen thanked the hollows again and turned to head back the way they had come. 

Uryuu sighed and shouted to his retreating friends back “Fine, but you owe me and Chad big time for this”

Ichigo laughed and yelled back “That’s fine by me, I’ll be back soon”.

The Alpha flash stepped into the fog not realizing he had a tiny follower close behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to give a massive thank you to everyone who has left me such lovely and encouraging comments and left me Kudos. I apologise deeply for not replying but due to my current commitments I don't have much time. I do read them all when I can and they help keep me going.


End file.
